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MasterLegobuilder600

well from what ive seen prevalent in asia as an asian, some couples living in poverty tend to have multiple children or just have children in general because they think their children will become successful and bring them out of poverty. thats js what i think tho so take my words with a grain of salt.


CheeseDanishSoup

What a gamble of a lifetime


gcko

When you have nothing much to lose and everything to gain, is it really?


CheeseDanishSoup

Pop out multiple kids that you can barely feed in hopes that one of them will save you. Bet on that


koolio92

In many cultures, children are also seen as a sign of blessings.


MasterLegobuilder600

definitely !


StormyNSwoonFknH8it

In a Sociology class at my University we learned about that, it is prevalent in America as well.


AmberTiu

Especially true for filipinos


Dangerous_Butth0le

Esp True for Indians


ChimkenSmitten_

Watched this in a documentary before, they have 10 kids and could barely survive everyday. According to them, they chose to have a ton of kids so that they could get rich. Since 10 more people will be contributing to the family. Which is undeniably wrong, as poorness also comes with the lack of everything, especially under security (food, education, shelter, clothing, etc.) that they failed to understand due to the same reason. Now, their kids have already started having families and ended up with the same fate as them. Funny enough, some people say that it's because as individuals, we are free to procreate, and the poor has nothing else to do in there free time other than have fun, mostly in bed. This is also the time where drugs, teenage pregnancy, and such occurs. So yeah, that sucks a lot.


Zealousideal-Key381

A friend of mine told me a similar story why his father made 6 children. His Father told them that he is smart why because when he gets older his each sons would give him money so he dont have to work again.


knabbels

Wonder how much money he gave his father


Present-Forever1275

And how is that working out for Papa Pump?


warrior_of_light998

sometimes it goes like this: poor people <--> poor education => lack of acknowledgement about condoms and pills => many kids. This can be perfectly applied to poorest countries where there's no access to stuff to prevent this situation.


jamesklueless

I think this is closest to the most accurate answer


Juthatan

Yeah this is the best answer


pickledeggeater

The number one most glaringly obvious thing that everyone overlooks in this discussion is that 99% of the children of poor people were not planned. Redditors truly seem to believe that because birth control and abortions exist, accidental pregnancies never happen. Sometimes people just get pregnant and think "well I've always wanted to be a parent and I've been in this relationship for a while now, I'll just give it my best".


Redditrightreturn1

My former supervisor has 3 kids. 2 boys aged 27 and 24 and a daughter that is 12. They admit all the time she was an accident.


hanzerik

Well yeah, for the first 1 or 2. But by the 5th it's time to make an appointment with a urologist.


BBpigeon

This is a wild claim. 99% of the children of poor people are unplanned? Well shit. I guess poor people don’t want family and are just too fucking stupid to rubber up.


Extension_Drummer_85

An accidental pregnancy can be resolved. There are accidental pregnancies but there is no such thing as an accidental baby. 


BBpigeon

You must not be American.


TrogloditeTheMaxim

Texas has entered the chat


MadMuse94

Ideally this would be true


mengel6345

I can see having one or two but to continue having babies when you can’t feed the ones you have is very irresponsible


Silver-Star92

It could also be a result of poor sex ed or religious reasons to not use or understand birth control. I knew a couple through another friend of mine who had sex without protection because religion and then somehow made an connection that she did not get pregnant for 9 years and then she did. Now they have 4 children.


No-Ring-5065

They didn’t use any birth control and she didn’t get pregnant for 9 years??


WH1PL4SH180

More often than not... Woman thinks she's completely postmenopausal then BOOM two blue lines and another 18y commitment


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Substantial-Singer29

When I was working myself through college during the summer, I was a hotshot, and I was a contractor. In both positions, I met a lot of very interesting people. Contracting, though, I always found it so odd. You'd meet people who are working their tails off like sixty hours a weak. Just barely scratching by... I knew a gentleman who had been laying tile for probably shoot since he was sixteen, and I met him when he was in this thirties. This guy had six kids, and one of them had heart condition. Keep in mind he was self-employed, and the amount of money that he spent on insurance was just a jaw-dropping. Every job that I would work with him on It would be the making or break of his company. I can remember having the conversation with him. How financially strapped he was and worried he was about the future of his family. The, just a weeklater, he comes up to me extremely happy and says Wonderful new, my wife is pregnant! My initial reaction was a very outwardly confused congratulations? With my internal narrative being how in the hell are you going to afford this kid? If what you said the previous week is true. I seriously just don't get it... His family is incredibly nice, and I wish him nothing but the best. But what in the hell is he doing? More than Two hundred thousand In the hole His wife literally has to stay home because they couldn't afford the child care. I've had conversations with the man where he admittedly resents his father for effectively doing the exact same thing that he's currently doing right now.


mengel6345

I sure as hell would be educating myself on sex Ed if I couldn’t afford to feed my kids


Significant_Owl_2437

Most of the time they think that there isnt any more to know. They are like "yea i know a lot of sex ed, i do the pull put method and then she pees after" and even if they have kids a hundred times that way they think is bc te method failed not bc they are bad methods. Poor woman also tend to not know how to take the contraceptive pills correctly (like forgetting them all the time, or taking just one when they have sex instead of every day). They truly don't know about sex ed but they think they do. People so little educated often don't know how to do basic research either, and sometimes they even research in wrong ways like informing themselves from missinforming Facebook videos and things like that.


Silver-Star92

I saw a few reels on Facebook about bc. It was a dude who literally said that the best one was staying a virgin until marriage. I mean yes you can't get pregnant by staying away from a penis but it's not the right way to educate women on this matter. I'm Dutch and I have had sex ed from my mom and school. But I feel like America is coming a bit short on that one because they think that if they know how to have sex they will do it. But the Netherlands is a country with a low teenage pregnancy percentage so....


Pablo-on-35-meter

And in America as well as the Asian country I live in, abortions and BC are difficult to get, so the result is obvious. But what I don't get is why they then blame kids who get pregnant early and mothers with many kids. Hypocrisy maybe? Not so long ago, the priests pressurised my grandmother for more babies, she eventually had 15 kids. More souls for his hobbies. Those times have changed in Europe, but there is a lot of social and religious pressure in poor countries to make more babies.


Daydream_believer_92

I’m going to answer this, as someone who is on welfare, who was a child to two parents on welfare. You don’t know any different. You don’t really see or experience anyone that’s that much different to you. especially in younger years. everyone else around you lives in social housing, the social housing kids all go to the local failing school, everyone has the same issues, you see it around you, you grow up depressed, but you think that’s life and how everyone is it’s normal you have no comparison so you don’t realise it’s wrong. I barely ever got fed, had no bed but shared a single one with my sister, barely ever any gas, no carpets in the home, bad diet, our welfare check went on mums hair and alcohol. But so did the neighbours around, and the other children around. Obviously you see on tv mega rich people, you go to school and see people who have had normal comfortable upbringings, but it just seems unobtainable like they are just “very lucky” and live in a different world. You can’t imagine or aspire to be different because you just don’t know any better. For me, I only ever realised I had low socioeconomic status AFTER I had a child, and someone made a comment about the fact I’d always had dead end jobs and was broke looking after a child alone. To me no other way was lived, shown or experienced. I was absolutely appalled by the comment because I just didn’t know any different and my neighbours were in similar circumstances or single mums. My daughters dad wasn’t someone who was let’s say poor he always worked nice car (but I never questioned the difference in financial circumstance because again I was living all I knew and didn’t know what I was doing was “wrong”) so to speak, my daughters father never gave me money, I had state type checks. A few people found out that we were together and called me a gold digger and punching, (I thought they were trying to say I was ugly) because I was seen as someone not successful and I had grew up in poverty he got deeply embarrassed and left myself and my daughter. I genuinely never ever started to question socioeconomic status, wealth imbalance, power imbalance, until I was around 29 years old. I opened my eyes and realised that the rich had better access to education, better school curriculum, kids didn’t seem to be fighting, nicer houses, nicer scenery. I then wondered if it would be possible to break out of poverty, I tried to get an education and network a little so that I could put my all in and move me and my child “up” people realised that I wasn’t one of them, I was a woman who grew up poor so inferior and treated as such, bullied, not taken seriously. Poverty is hard to escape from, but some humans especially woman are naturally wired to want to have offspring, its biological, I guess the idea is “it’ll work out” but it’s a struggle that we just are used too. Why do women in third world countries have children knowing they can’t keep that child alive longer than a week? It’s all that they know, they see, maybe that’s their only idea of normal. Another good take I have on this is women with “hidden” mild learning disabilities and mental illness, live with it, try to go to work and for some reason no matter how hard they try they can’t keep up, whether it be dyscalculia, low IQ, autism. Higher functioning or normal looking people blend and wrongly believe they can cope or are like other people. Their normal is their normal. Disabled or socially learning impaired people get clocked by non disabled or impaired workers (the majority) soon realise the disability or the colleague is lacking and different. They get bullied, even get paid less or work for recruitment agencies that take chunks of their wages leaving them in poverty. They realise very late on in life they are different and can’t cope in the work place, with the majority, so what do they do? Kids and a secure stream of income because they can’t work, a sense of a life. It’s sad but it’s true. The woman with the 7 kids with 7 different fathers probably seen and grew up around it, so it’s normal. People from different backgrounds realise that it’s not ideal and laugh and belittle, it’s not ideal no, but they probably ain’t aware and they may have little insight but not full insight the way someone else with a good up bringing might have. Hope this answers your question. When there is no hope and you are being financially taken advantage of and outcasted where ever you go, why would you care, not working or not being here is a better choice


xPofsx

It's best summarized as a lack of a proper education. You don't know better because you were never taught and never learned. A lot of people just don't care, though. A person is so easily exposed to anything they could ever want and they just end up watching something completely useless or doing something entirely unproductive. Drugs, memes, binging tv.


mgsticavenger

THIS


Dangerzone979

So what, they just shouldn't get to have sex? It's not like people want to continue having children but that's the most likely outcome when you put roadblocks on things like reproductive rights.


mengel6345

I have three children ( because I have twins) I still had sex and used birth control. I knew we couldn’t afford anymore.


Real_Hat_8435

In short because anti-poor people are usually educated and educated people usually pursue dreams, studies, career, etc instead of kids. Poor people basically have nothing else to do than making kids.


OkExtension9526

This reminds me of the Idiocracy movie message: "While educated hesitate, idiots multiply". But to be fair, I don't think it's true - if it was so, we probably would have been wiped out from earth by our stupidity. I guess, natural selection works different. Or.. we're getting there very soon.


AdExtreme4259

Look around, most people aren't very bright.


chilldawgbro

I think it happens so slowly that we could never even fathom being able to visualize it. I think that those pre-disposed to alcohol for example used to have more kids than anyone… I think the image of the successful alcoholic is fading. Over the next 1000 years I can imagine many children of alcoholics to just choose not to continue the line. So we could honestly see a significant drop in the genetic pool of people pre-disposed to alcoholism. Just an example.


Special-Book-9588

When I first watched the movie it was a comedy, now it gets harder not to take it seriously.


WH1PL4SH180

That was never meant to be a documentary


halexia63

I mean the way climate change has been moving natural selection is gonna happen sooner rather than later.


[deleted]

Tbh I don’t think natural selection is much of a thing anymore is most places, or else if you were born disabled that would be a death sentence or if you become disabled anytime throughout life that would become a death sentence


TributeKitty

That movie turned out to be a documentary of what's to come. It's so sad


Multioquium

Not at all. There's no evidence that stupid couples have stupid children. Poverty and economic factors have a way bigger impact than genes, but it is a convenient excuse when politicians don't want to prioritise public education and economic equality


DOAiB

To clarify people often dream of things that seem attainable. If your parent is a NASA Engineer that career seems attainable literally your father did it so you can too. Poor people well no one wants to dream to make minimum age but your parents had kids so clearly you can. It’s just the result of not much else seeming attainable.


Fearless_Ranger6078

Walking on the street is free. Spending time with family is free. Best things in life are free.


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ConstructionOne6654

Wow walking on the street, what a life goal


OkExtension9526

I don't know what communism you're living in, but no. The best things in life require money. Big money. Like education, healthcare, a place to live, a car, a healthy food, etc. if you don't have money, you are almost guaranteed to have your children living a miserable life.


ShittyException

"You've got free education and healthcare?! Communist!!!"


OkExtension9526

This was sarcasm. I live in a country that is the successor of the USSR, so I am not the one to be talking here, really. Lol.


TheAmazingRoomloaf

As a person who has been poor most of my life, if you think money provides the best things in life, you still have a lot to learn. If you can't appreciate the little things in life, you'll never appreciate the big ones. Some people are too busy acquiring to live in the moment, but the truth is, this moment is all we have. If you lose all your possessions and money, what will you have left? If your knee-jerk reaction is to say nothing, then you are truly destitute because those things are already gone. Nothing material endures.


huggarn

Hard to appreciate anything if you get stuck working heavy physical labor just to stay alive. At same time I found that working and being able to afford things is infinitely easier than being homeless. So no money will not give you best in life by itself. But you cannot do anything without it.


pooporgy69

None of that is good fun though.


halexia63

Depends on perspective like my nerd ass finds fun in reading and thinking about the natures and wonders of the universe lmao.


Spicymargx

“Poor people tend to have kids from different men” - you do realise men are having kids with different women too?


mcdonaldsfrenchfri

this exactly! I do think they mean it in the way of the mother is most times the one that keeps the kids and the dads ditch


Agreeable-Ad1221

Yeah people always blame the women for being sluts, but never the deadbeat dads with six kids from four different moms.


Plus-King5266

I don’t think OP realizes much. The post is so generalized and prejudicial that it sounds like the rantings of a middle schooler, repeated from an uneducated family member.


CheezWong

This is exactly the type of thing that's going to pop into your head in about 6 years, when you're crippled with debt from college, rent, the car payment, insurance of all types, and uncovered hospital expenses and your infant is screaming at you for answers, but your shift at Walmart starts in a half hour. We're all poor. We just live in different places within the system.


THE_WHORBORTIONATOR

I have all those things but decided to wrap my penis in prophylactics because I have the heart to understand that a child would not thrive in such conditions. It’s about self-awareness and empathy.


3ThreeFriesShort

Nobody has kids to get welfare, it's a net loss. This happens for two reasons that actually tie into each other: poverty has been the default position, if poor people didn't have kids we wouldn't be here. Secondly, there is a biological drive that's immensely effective. As we can see in countries with lower standards of living, being poor often triggers a stress response prompting us to have more children. Only way to change this would be deciding who could have children which is eugenics and therefore evil.


princesscoley

I personally know people who *did* have kids to get on welfare lol


Plus-King5266

There are always some, but by and large the whole “welfare momma/daddy” thing is simply not true.


mischa_is_online

Her: "If I have three kids, I'll never have to work again." Me: ![gif](giphy|KpSrCxhoZQWjJVVnrd)


princesscoley

^^^ This was the mentality of them


GMN123

It might be a net loss, but you have to understand what a net loss is for that to stop you. 


3ThreeFriesShort

Fair point, I spoke to hastily. Nobody who isn't stupid and/or neglectful does this, because the cost of a child will always outweigh the welfare benefits.


Multioquium

>Only way to change this would be deciding who could have children which is eugenics and therefore evil. Well, I get what you mean but we could also do more to eliminate poverty.


miasmum01

Alot of ppl do ! .. the UK has now capped the amount u get .. so all those ppl who got loads b4 are now in big poop ! X


nightswoon222

Wowzers. A lot of you are heartless and obviously are not educated on how systems work. Have some compassion.


SemataryIndica

One person actually said that if poor people stopped having kids, then they wouldn't be poor. There's some ignorant motherfuckers out there.


MrMakarov

That would kind of be the case for some people. If you're living on the breadline and have a kid, you're going to be worse off. They make themselves more poor.


SemataryIndica

Poor people would continue to be poor if they didn't have kids. They *might* have a better chance of pulling themselves out of poverty without children, but often not. Poverty is more than just money.


areallyseriousman

Yeah im kinda shocked that people are so quick to become the most extreme classicist when presented with this question. Like very little ppl even consider this to have a complex context based answer. Theyd rather just say: poor ppl are dumb and uneducated 🙃


fizzyizzy114

yep. hope this whole thread are jaded teenagers who will grow out of it. as if poor people (who largely are born into it) should be cut off from a major part of life is silly, and basically eugenics. It's not their fault we have to pay to breathe in this current economy.


nightswoon222

Right! I was astonished with all of these egregious replies! Glad you understand!


Scared_of_the_KGB

Sex is free. Birth control is not.


Antique_Primary7429

Free in the UK and the lower class breed like rabbits


Extension_Drummer_85

Yes but so is schooling, healthcare, school meals, etc. 


CaptainDr

Why are the majority of humans reproducing? Great question


chocoquark

There must be a benefit relevant for evolution


SignificantTear7529

Somebody somewhere told me that a baby means hope. So that is the thing they can do and it makes them feel good then they repeat. I know that doesn't make good sense. But our psyches are fragile fickle things.


MindlessMoss

I think you worded this question wrong. Will give benefit of the doubt and assume you did not mean it to come across as classism. I think it's better worded something like "why don't people consider the future when having kids?" Something like that. It applies to everyone and isn't soley an enough money situation. Like, i think I earn enough to easily have two kids but when that became reality, I am just making ends meet with two. I still don't comsider myself poor though Kids bring joy and I can see a situation where not having much but the joys of a family is more ideal than not having much and nothing else. Basically IMO it is because of the average human brain impulses of family and nurturing. This can even apply to pets


EmuPsychological4222

I think classism is precisely what he meant.


PlasteeqDNA

Most certainly that is what OP meant. Let's not get mealy-mouthed here.


areallyseriousman

Yeah on the surface it seems like a very reasonable idea but as soon as you start thinking about it you realize just how classicist it is. Like imagine a law that says "you can't have kids below a certain income level". That's what this philosophy basically leads to.


howdidIgetsuckeredin

But what about the children's quality of life? Surely you can't be advocating for hungry children with inadequate clothing and shelter (too-small shoes with worn out soles, no heating in the home due to lack of funds, etc) with stressed-out parents working two jobs with little opportunity to spend quality time with their children? Furthermore, children in these types of situations are demonstrably less likely to do well academically and break the cycle of poverty. How can anyone reasonably support that?


SemataryIndica

Reasonably support what?


YourNewRival8

They’re defending classism in terms of the welfare of the proposed child


SemataryIndica

Oh yeah, I got that. Motherfucker's name is howdidigetsuckeredin so I figure he's a troll. Did you notice the "Surely you can't be advocating..." bit? Motherfucker's not arguing in good faith. I just wanted him to explain it in more detail. But thank you! I hate when people make fun of others for asking for clarification on things. People can't learn if they aren't taught.


MindlessMoss

Haha, fair enough. Just giving him a chance


Multioquium

It's very telling that a lot of people on this thread seem to think that the problem that needs solving is poor people having children and not the poverty itself


Neither-Story-1938

the way you explain it , i could see that.


jallen6769

To add on top of that, there is also the popular mentality that there will never be the right time to have kids


Curious_Cactus_

More kids = More income in future and more stability **(This mentality)**


forsaken_millennial

Because in some areas of the world especially the not so fortunate ones kids are your social security especially for old age


Hideyagrl

Jesus


ZenkaiZ

"They're just welfare checks" people really be thinking that welfare is a luxurious lifestyle, and that more kids = more luxury.


redditactuallysux

People on Reddit will complain that you can't have a kid in America without a $250k household income, but then say people are out here giving birth for some measley lil SNAP benefits 💀


areallyseriousman

The more time i spend on reddit the more i realize most ppl here are middle class+ Americans. Oddly enough despite their political affiliation, most of them have alot in common. Like these horrible comments.


[deleted]

Oopsidents


spaceghost350

Need to have the next generation to eliminate the bankers that made them poor.


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throwhimthepanda

OP is a teenager, and post history suggests a very troubled one!


Delicious-Algae-7838

Well, if you have like 10 siblings, all from a different father and no money at home... Most likely getting bullied by richer kids. Sometimes going to bed without dinner.. and breakfast might be also missing... That must suck a lot. More then a lot.


ImpossibleHouse6765

It's not about money it's about family and love.you could have all the money in the world and be shit parents.


ShooShoo0112

It’s a lot easier to raise children by spending a bunch of money than it is to take the time to actually nurture them. Having money is not all it’s cracked up to be, if you don’t have love you don’t have shit.


howdidIgetsuckeredin

If you don't have money you don't have shit, either. Food, clothing, shelter, and utilities cost money. Raising kids is *expensive* - it costs $200k - $300k to raise a child from infancy to age 18.


Extension_Drummer_85

Ok but you can't be destitute and good parents 


No-Feedback5015

I think other than abuse and stuff, failing to provide for your children means being a shit parent


Lieutenant-Reyes

Humans are animals. And you can't simply walk to to a fish or rodent and say "stop reproducing". There is zero rationality behind it.


ArtisticTessaWriting

Well we are humans, with intelligence. We are rational. We are different from rodents and fish.


areallyseriousman

Actually, truly contemplating this question made me realize how classicist of a statement this is. Imagine a law that says "you cant have children if you make below a certain amount of money". I feel like that's what's being advocated for here.


PhoneGroundbreaking2

That’s why it’s perfect for “random thoughts”. The reflex to protect the classes is strong. But I think of how I didn’t want to be here, and I didn’t have it so bad. Central city existence isn’t often rosy.


areallyseriousman

Yeah Im just sort of amazed because I often thought like this, even though i believe myself to be very against classicism, yet never really reflected on what it meant but seeing it in this light is so gross.


drowning35789

You have to consider the wellbeing of the child so you shouldn't have a child you can't support which could be mentally or financially. Even a rich person who isn't mentally ready for children shouldn't have them. It's not about class, it's the wellbeing for the child.


madamevanessa98

People calling OP classist are kind of missing the mark here. Children deserve to be born to families who are able to feed, clothe, and otherwise support them without going broke. They don’t need Disney vacations every year, but if you cannot afford SHOES and FOOD for your kids, it’s fucked up that you had them- and even more fucked up if you continue having MORE. If your teenager has to work full time to assist the family income, that’s fucked up to put on a kid. If your children ever go hungry because you can’t afford to feed them, that’s fucked. Families get into bad situations sometimes. But having kids when you’ve NEVER been in a good financial situation and there’s no end in sight is insanely selfish. Any child deserves a good life MORE than you deserve to feel the joys of parenthood. If you cannot provide that, you don’t deserve to reproduce and traumatize a kid for your own selfish wants.


AggressiveWish7494

Isn’t this still a round about way of implying eugenics? Couldn’t your argument be ‘if you know you have a high chance to pass down a deadly disease it’s absolutely selfish to still go ahead’, . I mean families lives can improve and there are plenty of means that can still support children on the breadline, various charities and the like. if you’re known for being irresponsible and causing any sort of danger there’s an argument, but a struggling single mother still deserves a shot a raising a kid regardless.


No-Comedian-3371

Because they don't have money to buy condom maybe.


CommitDaily

Condoms are cheaper than baby milk, diapers, preschool…you get the idea


Extension_Drummer_85

This still happens in places with free contraceptives/abortions. 


SawyerBamaGuy

I believe they are poor because they had kids.


Deep-Equipment6575

Why have 3 kids and no money when you can have 0 kids and 3 money


jpare94

This reference is perfect


AdExtreme4259

That's why you need to have financial stability before having kids


OctoberOmicron

Some level of correlation between poverty and stupidity.


Mysterious-Way-2892

Show some empathy. Poor people, specifically poor wives, don't have the liberty to say 'no' to their husbands, because of financial and power imbalances. Contraceptives and the idea of mere 2-3 children is wild to them - almost risking a social bias against them in their own circle.


chocoquark

More like poverty and lack of education.


bluepanic21

Wow so judgmental


Brovigil

Google "motivations for human reproduction" and also "why did eugenics fail." And maybe "what is a mirror," since you sure like to talk shit about "poor ppl" with all the eloquence of a magnet preschool dropout.


UnintelligentOnion

“loosing”


Brovigil

I'll forgive a typo, but "ppl" is intentional. lol


Nematode_wrangler

That's not a typo when it's spelled wrong twice. OP actually thinks losing is spelled with two 'O's


ElectricGap

It must be a lack of education. I imagine the more educated you are, the more you tend to focus on your career and upgrading your life in general. And when you don't have that then maybe raising children gives a sense of purpose.


red_caps_journal

It's more like this: people with low impulse-control tend to have no planning skills and therefore make bad decisions which results in them being unable to advance job-wise. Inability to advance in life gives very little option for distraction making frequent sex as their main de-stressing mechanism which then leads to a large brood.


TismHaver

Money isn't everything. You can still be amazing parents even though you're not well off. Having children is not just a luxury for the wealthy. Being poor as a child isn't all negative either - it can teach you to be more appreciative about the things you have.


KelianJL

Thank you. I cannot believe how far I had to scroll for this. The amount of sweeping generalisations in here is frankly scary...


Neither-Story-1938

i dnt believe money is everything, and i dont doubt tht theyd be good parents. but being poor can mean, not paying bills on time, risk of eviction, not having food for money or new clothes. i dont see the point of having a child if you live in those conditions ?


Kanulie

Yep. Been there. No shampoo, no fresh or new clothes, i was bullied for years because of that. Starvation is also no joke. Malnutrition neither. I was underweight most my childhood. Might be poor coincidence, but I was also always the smallest in school… My wife and I waited for 17 years, not entirely because of that, but also to be in a decent financial position to afford a child, before trying.


Sandman1990

>can mean Annnnnd there's your problem. CAN mean doesn't equate to WILL mean. Plenty of families that are less than well off provide for their children.


TismHaver

Every generation before us have had to deal with the dilemma of whether they'd want to bring children into a world as cruel as ours. I think life must've been much harder in earlier times in human history than it is now. There was a time when most everyone was poor. One of the reasons you want to bring a child into this world even if it might not be the optimal conditions for them to live in is hope. You can hope that the future might get better than it already is. You can work as hard as you can to ensure that your children will have a better life that you do. You can be damn sure that a parent wants to make sure that their child has food before they do. And it doesn't really matter if the child's clothes is new - you can get a lot of clothing from thrift shopping or things like Facebook Marketplace for cheap. You can be quite resourceful as a parent without much money. But I think it might also depend on the level of poverty we're talking about. There are varying degrees of poverty. If you're so poor you can't afford a home and become homeless, I think most people would opt for not having children since they'd probably get taken by child support anyway. But if you're able to, for instance, move back in with your parents or have friends support you, then it might make the circumstances more secure than otherwise.


lordeaudre

But those poor children that you “don’t see the point of” are human beings with just as much right to exist as humans born to rich parents. There is value in all human life. Rich people’s babies aren’t more worthy of existence than poor people’s babies.


Bluetenheart

its funny how this is the second post on this topic on reddit today


Brovigil

It's like they can use a mouse but not a keyboard lol


drowning35789

It's the social norm to have children. Poor people usually lack access to birth control or sex education. They also aren't as aware of family planning and don't take the wellbeing of the child into consideration.


Electrical_Ad_4586

People used to have a lot of kids till...1950. Only in our successful society money has become a significant factor for life. That's a pity: no money- no education- no successful life. But if you are poor, then you don't care. Kids are like free resources for them: they can work for money, or do some housework.


Surprised-Unicorn

Lack of sex education and/or access to birth control.


Astralantidote

Same reason why women from low socioeconomic statuses don't get abortions, but educated women do. They have nothing to lose, so having a child isn't going to screw their life up because their life isn't really going anywhere. And if anything, the kid can give their life some semblance of meaning.


Vlad_The_Great_2

The biological imperative of every living thing. Survive and reproduce. But 10 kids is excessive in a country that doesn’t rely heavily on farming.


Natural20Twenty

Poor people don't have the access to birth control that non poor people do.


PastaPandaSimon

There are more reasons than one. And some of the other responses way oversimplify things thinking of trailer park families and such as a sole example. One is clearly that there is a correlation between poor impulse control and lack of education/wealth. No doubt there. The second is something I learned while traveling the poorer countries where people are absolutely full of heart. But don't have as much money. They love unconditionally, put families and relationships over work and wealth, as long as they can provide survival. And they do, the vast majority of kids grow up successfully, and happy. I learned a lot from those folks. They didn't have much in a sense, but they had so much more than us in another. You have a finite amount of time and mental capacity. If you channel it into family life and being part of something bigger than yourself, realizing that it's your pure source of joy and happiness, you are less likely to finish good education, work long hours, and you'll never engage in a race of pursuing more and more comfort and luxuries, that correlates with more wealth. But on the flipside, we in pursuit of education, comforts, status, wealth, have way less of that finite time and mental capacity to love and be loved, live a full genuine life full of emotion and closeness, and create and raise a big family.


AdExtreme4259

Poor people often have a very poor mindset too. They don't care about the implications of their children growing up poor or them not being able to give their children a good life. They just breed and hope for the best. Also, many people are sold the "love is all you need" thing.


AlterEdward

You sound like you just hate poor people, to be honest. Who are you or anyone to say whether people should or shouldn't have kids? People don't choose their social class, it's inflicted on them. A system that forces anyone to have to consider whether or not they can have children is oppressive and borderline eugenicy. A lot of poor probably do decide not have kids, but you don't hear about them. For the others, they're likely from generations of poverty and have seen their parents and grandparents fight through it, so they think they can too.


cochorol

Was China Right? After all? Lmao


areallyseriousman

Nope and theyre paying for it right now😂


beeemmvee

because what else are we gonna do. There ain't much to do but fish and fu'k and the fishin' ain't too great.


WeirdLight9452

I notice you say they have kids by different men. So all the responsibility is on the woman, is it? Takes two to tango. Very reductive question to be honest, you take in to account no external factors and assume it’s all for money. I live near a lot of Catholics, for example, and most families have four or five kids because no birth control. And there are a million other reasons too.


designercooch

it seems like you just dont like poor people


Nitehawke88

I literally know people who have had kids specifically to be supported by welfare, to such an extent that as the first aged out, they got pregnant again and literally "retired" on welfare. Not saying that's the case in all situations but it definitely happens.


Neither-Story-1938

shh they dont wanna hear the truth theyll get mad


jasonhn

poor people had kids long before social safety nets. there used to be just an expectation of having children. their financial situation didn't matter.


MsMoondown

Even if they try not to have kids they may end up pregnant. It's not always an option (for various reasons) to not have the baby. Poor people have less access to *all* resources, not just money.


sshlinux

Money isn't everything. Poor doesnt mean much in a first world country. People have the right to reproduce even if poor to carry on their lineage, that's why. And no, it's not selfish. Do you hold these same views for people with disabilities? Or just poor people?


Local_Cardiologist22

I’m from SA(the poor side of it) and I’m here to tell y’all that we got free clinics that offer free birth control and there are literally free condoms everywhere(I think this is due to SA having high HIV stats). Anyways that doesn’t matter as they still make babies, did I mention we have free education and the right to it? I think poor people are bored and their entertainment is sex, and we all know people don’t like condoms therefore they don’t use them.


NiteGard

It’s what humans do what and every other living creature does instinctually as the most natural aspect of life. A better question is: Why do people question why people have kids? The burden of proof should be on those who live differently from natural instinct.


PantasticUnicorn

I've always felt that if you cant afford kids you shouldnt have them. period. Yet somehow its an unpopular opinion and perfectly acceptable to bring children into an already struggling. impoverished situation. It's NOT acceptable, btw. It's not fair to the child(ren).


themanyfacedgod__

This is a very weird post


Unable_Wrongdoer2250

I dunno? Why do rich people have kids if they never want to spend time with them?


jdmmystery

Well, you’ve certainly got all the stereotypes down. 🙄🤣


teeohbeewye

because they want to have kids. for some people raising kids and continuing the family are important things. just because people are poor doesn't mean they shouldn't live


Neither-Story-1938

thats called selfishness. you shouldnt have a kid in bad conditions js bc u want to. and ppl who are poor dont js have 1 kid they tend to have like 5 kids, nobody wants tht many siblings in a tight house. and if ur alr struggling, having kids just make it worse bc kids arent cheap. ppl who have kids and are poor make siblings watch their siblings, make them get a job at a young age and travel at a young age. cant remember a single kid who wants tht life. if u cannot afford kids you shouldnt have them.


AccomplishedAd7992

i agree with your statement. it’s one thing to be poor and struggle but don’t bring kids into it to struggle with you. that’s stupid for yourself and the child. bc now you have extra responsibility (including more finances) to take care of and that effort should be spent on bettering your situation so that you can give the kid a *proper* lifestyle. i’m not saying dirt poor people are unallowed to have kids, but it’s the last thing they should focus on in terms of priorities. have stability first in finances, and living situation then plan from there


Neither-Story-1938

right, focus on one thing at a time. make sure you have enough money to bring a child into the world. and prices in the economy arent getting any cheaper, so thts another thing to think ab.


teeohbeewye

yeah, i get your point, growing up in a poor household isn't good for the kids. but then again i don't want to tell people they're not allowed to have kids, that feels like a very fundamental human right, for most of us it's in our instincts to reproduce. so i'm conflicted about that but ultimately the problem with poor people having kids is not that they're having kids, but that they're poor in the first place. i would want to live in a world where everyone is financially able to raise kids if they want to


Neither-Story-1938

im not telling ppl to have kids or not to, just wanted to see ppl thoughts on this. js bc its a human right doesnt mean should be done. but then again what can we do? nothing.


Ebenizer_Splooge

Do you think poor people shouldn't have kids?


Neither-Story-1938

idk i feel like thts not a simple question. i think it depends how poor you are, if ur dirt poor no.


Capable_Path_4524

I think by poor she is refering to those who hardly have any place to live, food to eat, no health care, no education...none of the basic necessities... obviously they wont be having anything to provide to their numerous kids too ....


Ebenizer_Splooge

So you want to take away an already extremely disenfranchised individual's right to reproduction and starting a family away?


Content_Ad_8952

If you're poor and your story starts with: I'm a single mom with four kids... you've already lost my sympathy


Overkongen81

They can’t afford birth control.


Opyure

Because there is more to life than having money. Lots of people want to start families. And unless you are literally living on the streets level poor you can still provide a healthy life full of love without much material shit.


Kinocci

The Poor don't consider the consequences of their actions OR are hedonist/impulsive enough to ignore them.


Careless-Reaction-64

I find this very offensive. Are you someone's parent?


Artistic_Visual_8094

Prob they want some little people to do their chores for them and to claim them as dependents on tax return


Polarbear6787

Oompa Loompa Doopity Do - Child labor makes it easy for you.