to all those above: The essentials of childcare have merely gone up with inflation since the 1800s. Thus, 'its too expensive' doesn't jive, as people were havin

to all those above: The essentials of childcare have merely gone up with inflation since the 1800s. Thus, 'its too expensive' doesn't jive, as people were having lots of kids back then. A prime example is housing. People seem to think if they have a kid, they NEED a 4 bedroom 2 bathroom house with a yard, or you simply can't have a kid at all, game over if you don't own that. Meanwhile my 1920s home was more than enough for families back then, it was a 2 bedroom 1 bath. As far as pet care, people are spending 40,000$ on operations on their pets, and thousands a month on pet health insurance. People are spending 20/hour for dog walkers, the average Seattle dog owner spends up to 9,000$ / year on their dog (source wagwalking.com). No one says you have to pay nannys and private schooling. thats on you. that's about on par with a child, and someone pointed out a dog only lives 20 years, that just means your 'investment' is less well spent and support my claim pets are expensive. Also noting: you dont owe your kid anything after 18, they should be grown adults capable of making their own money and decisions after that point.