I mean obviously children are much more than financial drains in terms of emotional and spiritual fulfillment. I don't think anyone's arguing that. But it is tr

I mean obviously children are much more than financial drains in terms of emotional and spiritual fulfillment. I don't think anyone's arguing that. But it is true that for most of human history children were economic boons from a very young age: most people were farmers, and very few people went to school, so kids could contribute economically by doing farm chores when quite young. This is untrue in modern society, obviously. It doesn't mean people don't have children or love their children, but it does mean that people are satisfied with having one or two kids rather than the four or five or more common in agricultural societies, which puts us below replacement rates.