When adults reach a certain age, the expectation of them having their own family is also increasing. They are expected to raise a child just as their parents raised them during their time. The problem is, some parents see their children as an investment or actually see them as an expense.
Because they supported them financially, some parents think that their children are indebted to them and that it is their children’s responsibility to pay them back and take care of them when they grow old. This exact notion has sparked a conundrum that the whole world had trouble fixing – until recently.
Most millennials oppose the mindset of older people. Older people instill in the minds of their offspring that the reason to have a child is to have someone to take care of you when you grow old.
The younger generation, on the other hand, is against this idea and views a child as a lifetime responsibility you can’t just abandon. That’s why millennials nowadays are not exactly fond of having children.
They have this idea that raising a child in the current situation today will cost them so much financially, mentally, and emotionally because they understand well that a child is a responsibility that a parent chooses.
Some of the people who dreamt of being parents someday are now rethinking their decision because looking at a child as an investment or expense has been implanted in their minds since they were children themselves.
Now, with the debate garnering thousands – if not millions – of opinions and reactions all over the internet, most millennials have come to a common understanding that the main role of children in a family is to be loved and taken care of. They are not to be treated as an investment and nor viewed as an expense.
While it is true that parents should focus on giving all the love that they give to their children, it is not entirely wrong to teach them how to live frugally. For example, working on credit scores when they are financially stable. Teaching budgeting to children at a young age will help them understand how to prioritize their needs while saving for their wants. If understood well, this can help them grasp the concept of setting goals and planning on how to achieve those goals. Handling finances when they become adults themselves can become a main cause of stress if not taught at a young age.
If a couple wants to be parents, they should be ready for this lifetime commitment and responsibility. Eldercare should not be the main reason to want to have kids. Children are not in debt to their parents just because they raised them, gave them home, fed them, and financed their education. All these things are obligations that parents need to fulfill ever since they decided to have children. So, while growing a family, make sure that you will not be dependent on your children. Never treat them as an investment that can be redeemed when you grow old.
Looking at children as an expense or investment is an unfair thing to do. It is not a child’s choice to be born into this world, they are your responsibility and not the other way around. Your child is not your property. Children will eventually develop their own thinking about how they want their life to be. And as a parent, you need to be supportive about it as long as it does not harm them or any other human being.
People say that when a person becomes a parent, they become selfless. That they are willing to do everything for their children’s welfare even if it means having nothing left for themselves. This can be projected in the way a parent treats and views a child.
In conclusion, children should be looked at as symbols of love. A product of the love that a couple have for each other. The main reason for wanting to have children should be the desire to raise a wonderful person into this world. That reason can also be the parents’ drive to strive to be a good example to their children.
It is not a bad thing to give them everything that they need and want as long as you can provide. It should be your number one goal as a parent to give your children a comfortable life. Making a physically and mentally comfortable home for your children can be their peace. It is a fulfillment if you get to be the person that you want while teaching your children how they should become.
The actions that they see from you can be their guide to adulthood so make sure that as parents, you are doing the things that you want your children to grow up with. Being ready, in all aspects, can help a lot in raising children. The only return of investment that you should crave to get is seeing your children become the best version of themselves.
