Are people having children for the correct reasons?

Nice question. I work with low income families and sometimes illegal immigrants. What I have seen is people at that level are very Innocent. Girls from these families just get pregnant. They don't know any thing better. They see their friends getting pregnant and they get pregnant. They have this dream world about having babies.

Iknow what you are saying though. There is so much poverty, illness, disease, nasty people...would we want our children to grow in such an environment? Why should we?

Yesterday I was watching news that in 10 years, USA will have drought...esp in California. Then states will fight among each other.

Like now USA attacked Iraq for oil, but in future , we might attack some other country for water.

I find the idea of wanting to give the gift of life to somebody slightly bizarre. What does that actually mean? You haven't met the baby yet - why would you want to give it a gift? Or do you mean one of the parents? There are gifts of life all around us - a new flower, a new kitten.

People have babies for selfish reasons, because people are selfish. The next time you do a 'good deed' ask yourself who you're doing it for. Does it make you feel good? Then who's it for? Do you make a point of telling people what you've done? Then who's it for?

Besides which, most countries (UK and Canada spring to mind) are facing a state pension crisis because there are two few babies being 'produced'.

If you can't understand why someone would want a baby, then don't have one. If you're asking someone a question that they find difficult to answer as words are too narrow a conduit for their emotional response, then expect a reply that doesn't stand up to analysis.

The "wrong" reasons you give are not actually all that bad (some of them anyway) but the worst reasons are some of the most common, e.g. young girls getting pregnant so they can get a free council house without any wait (such children are invariably neglected); women who don't want to work having children to live off the child benefits (including women whose husbands/partners also dont want to work; these children are fed on the cheap with the parents using the benfits to buy themselves consumer goods, cigarettes, alchohol etc. In the first category, the young girl should not be given accommodation or benefits, and there should be a maximum of 2 children qualifying for child benefits with the third and subsequent children each reducing the child benefit paid.

those reasons are, i agree, a little selfish. but i'm sure they aren't the only reasons people are having children. i read an article last night about a family that has 15 children (many of them adopted orphans from other countries) because they love children, and love life, and allowing others to have life within a loving home.

maybe people say those are the reasons they're having children, but i'll bet that once the kids start coming, and growing up, they'll realize there are many other reasons they have those kids, and perhaps they'll realize how dumb they were to think such selfish things to begin with...

My dear, I have the pleasure to be the father of two boys, that I also had the pleasure to live their growing up from their early years, since I was their day-keeper during the morning when their mother was working, while she kept them in the afternoon. Although the first was the fruit of love and the second was the effort to go the other way, we were blessed with two good boys , one of which is having his own kids too. That I also enjoy watching grow up, since we live together . My constant love for kids ,whether they were mine or my relatives was a never ending joy. To me that is the main ingredient. To give them your love if you have any to give and hear their cheerful voices calling you dad or grand dad.

One of the few joys we southern Europeans still cherish . May you also feel all that joy. I have taken a lot in my life, for which I'm grateful to God.

A few of those things sound unexceptable regardless, but some are realistic, when people get older their children help them by sharing compasion even if there is a partner absent,the accomplishing, again, it's not selfish, something like saying "I want someone else to go through what I am" is selfish.

Who are you to judge why people should have children?

As for whether the gift of life is worth giving, would you rather be dead?

When one looks at history this is clearly the best time to be alive and it looks like things are getting better so any children you should will probably have a life at least as good as your's (and the remaining problems are going to need people to solve them).

I am 23 and have a beautiful 2 year old. I had her out of love and wanting to give life to someone. My child was planned but I was able to provide things for her that most people my age can't. Me and my husband have very good jobs and we have owned our own house since I was 19. Our house is plenty big enough and we own 3 cars. We were able to provide for her and that is amazing. I still am concerned about all those things and think about it everyday. I hope that I can provide her with enough love and skills to have a full filling life.

Lots of pregnancies are not planned you know.

Better to have the child then to get an abortion.

I know a girl that was in the Guard and had spent 18 months in Iraq, so she tricked a guy into getting her pregnant so she would not have to go back to Iraq. Unwed mother does not have to go back, as she was only parent considered.

In my experience most couples have children because they want to create a person who is a part of both of them.

Giving 'the gift of life to somebody' is a bit too Hallmark for my liking.