I support this chamber, but I think some people are going to regret this decision.

I've never had children. I'm in my mid 40s and married.<br><br>The reason I never had children isn't because I hate kids or that I don't want to procreate. I just cannot financially afford to have kids.<br><br>I make a decent amount of money. I take home about $80k per year. However, between taxes, my mortgage, food, saving for retirement, and student loan payments, adding kids to the mix just isn't something we can do.<br><br>Many people here talk about how kids are just a financial and time burden. And they are. But to me, children are like pets or hobbies.. they are things that if you support correctly they are fun. If you have a dog, but you don't spend money or time on that dog, it's miserable and you won't have fun.. if you have a boat and you don't use it or maintain it, it's a waste of money.<br><br>Parents that abuse or neglect their children are horrible people whom I feel should be prosecuted. But I don't think having kids is a mistake.<br><br>We live by the "50-30-20" rule. 50% of our money goes to necessities (housing, food, etc) 30% goes to discretionary spending (going out to eat, hobbies, etc) and 20% goes to savings and paying off debt. We simply cannot afford to have kids, so we've decided to just buy a nice boat and travel a bit. Kids are just too expensive, and we know that. This is why we made this decision.<br><br>I support people who choose to be childfree. I get it. I'm one of you.<br><br>I just think that some people are going to wake up when they are my age and regret that they never had kids. I think some people will miss that part of their lives and realize that they took the easy way out.<br><br>I'm not saying that there is anything wrong with being childfree. But I do think there is something wrong with people saying they "hate kids". They don't hate kids. If they see a kid outside playing and some dickshits shoot that kid, they would be devastated and feel sad. If they "hated kids" they would celebrated.<br><br>I think a lot of people here have a fear of children. I don't know why.<br><br>I also think some people are easily influenced and have been convinced in a certain way of thinking. If you support this chamber and never want to have kids, that's fine. This is your decision and I respect that choice.<br><br>But I'm worried that people are just jumping on a bandwagon. We all know that having kids is a huge life decision, as is choosing not to have kids. But I think people here are so obsessed with the idea of not having kids that they're not really thinking things through.<br><br>Personally, I think it's great to have kids. Even though I don't want kids of my own, I love kids and currently am teaching a class of 7th graders at a local junior high school. I think kids are a lot of fun, and if they are properly cared for, they can be a rewarding experience.<br><br>However, I cannot afford to have kids, and if I were to have them, I'd probably resent them a bit because I'd be sacrificing a lot of my free time to take care of them.<br><br>I think this is how a lot of people on this chamber are going to end up.<br><br>As I've said, I think there's a difference between "I don't want to have kids" versus "I hate kids". If you don't want to have kids, that's your personal decision. However, if you "hate kids", you're just being a dickhead.<br><br>I think a lot of people here need to have a serious discussion with their partner and ask "why do I not want to have kids?".<br><br>Is it because you hate kids and resent their existence?<br><br>Or is it because you support a certain political agenda and support this chamber because you want to fit in?<br><br>If it's the former, I don't have much advice for you. I think you're just a shitty person.<br><br>If you're just trying to fit in, I think you need to take a step back and think about if this is the life choice you really want.<br><br>It's OK if you don't want kids. I don't want kids, and if I ever do, I can adopt.<br><br>It's OK if you have kids. If you want kids, you should have them. It's a life choice that you should make and not regret.<br><br>It's not OK if you say you don't want kids, but you really do want kids and are just saying you don't because you want to fit in, because if you do this, you're going to end up being a resentful parent who doesn't spend any time with their kids. And that's not fair to your kids.<br><br>Kids are a choice.. they're a big choice that you need to think about, and you need to decide what you really want. I don't want kids, but I think some of you should.<br><br>This is just my opinion.