sforza

Indeed. And why did the mods flag my thread?

You're sexist if you assume I'm a dude. I'm a woman. I actually think that gives my OP more weight.

LOL. Indeed choosing to having children is arguably the most selfish decision one can make in their life.

Indeed. We all know that what really happens is the majority of women want children and their men simply go along with it.

We all know that $300k is nowhere near how much it takes to raise a child.

Nonsense answer. Implies that wanting to have children is the correct choice.

There's plenty of others who'll do it for me!

It isn't overpopulated with people like your children will grow up to be. Children in the west benefit from public health measures and educational opportunities that will potentially enable them to be net contributors to solutions for overpopulation. The world can't be overpopulated with geniuses, with enough of them we can make new worlds.

Yes but given that unintelligent people are multiplying themselves at a much faster rate than intelligent people, do you really think your one or two intelligent children will have much of an impact on the world? It's wishful thinking.

Exactly the point I was trying to make in the OP.

I appreciate this answer because it does make me think twice about my own views.

Not sure why this is being downvoted. People who have children just so they have someone to take care of them need to be downvoted into oblivion.

So then you choose to procreate to create meaning, and your child grows up, finds meaning lacking, and therefore chooses to procreate...

Here again I ask - what are the reasons?!

But you're not answering the question. How does "one can be happy in the midst of hardship, difficulty and pain" encourage one to have children? One can also be happy when there is no hardship, difficulty and pain...

I mean, if you want the kind of job that can afford the house with the white picket fence and 2.5 children (and not putting yourself into dangerous levels of debt), the level of competition for such a job is fierce.

But arguably if you remain childfree you'll be able to throw money at the problem - you can afford a luxury nursing home.

Is it something you can control or is it out of your control.