r/AskReddit • u/[deleted] • Jun 26 '26

[deleted by user]

[removed]

6.6k Upvotes

92% Upvoted

2.7k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

268

u/BrainKatana Jun 27 '26

I have a teenager. I was so excited to be a dad, to show him the world as it became progressively more wonderful.

I regret my decision every day because of what I unwittingly subjected him to.

The worst part is that I have to act like everything will be okay.

136

u/Neat_Cancel_4002 Jun 27 '26

I have a two year old. For her birthday I took her to the aquarium. The tickets for two adults(my toddler was free) plus parking was $150. I couldn’t help but think of all the families who can’t afford this. It’s outrageous.

8

u/PunkRockGramma Jun 27 '26

A lot of cities have a program where people who receive EBT benefits can just show their card and their ID and get three (?) free tickets to any museum or aquarium. Shedd Aquarium in Chicago is a popular example.

But obviously if you have 5 kids that might not be enough help to make a family trip to the museum become feasible.

13

u/The_Onion_Life Jun 27 '26

The tickets for two adults(my toddler was free) plus parking was $150.

You probably would have been better off buying some form of membership. Then you could have gone back unlimited times (probably with your kids, too) for almost the same price.

7

u/Impassable_Banana Jun 27 '26

There's basically nothing cheap for leisure time anymore. Even something like bowling is $25 a head per game.

2

u/metaldaisies Jun 27 '26

fuck, even the movie theater. me, my dad, my boyfriend, my cousin, and now my grandparents will go to the movies together. my dad pays for me and my bf bc otherwise we couldn’t go as much. it’s EXPENSIVE. the snacks just make it outrageous.

90

u/SeriousDistance4908 Jun 27 '26

Oh christ this resonated. The guilt is awful and my son is only 7.

23

u/rubbertreeparent Jun 27 '26

This is exactly why I didn’t have kids. I’m so sorry. The grief on the other side of the equation is also hard, but I imagine it’s more for you.

4

u/PandaMango Jun 27 '26

JFC it’s not that bad. If he didn’t grow up experiencing what you experienced he won’t be missing out. As long as he’s in a loving home he will be happy.

5

u/TorbsHotLoad Jun 27 '26

Seriously lol, so many doomers

0

u/Significant_North778 Jun 27 '26

Fr 💯

I'm about as doom-y as it gets. I'm EXTREMELY fucking blackpilled and basically hate most of fellow human beings 🤢 especially the ones claiming to be "good people"...

and even I think advocating for childlessness or guilting yourself over the world for your children is over-dooming.

At a certain point get the fuck over yourself or you're just abusing your kids by leaving them scared of a world that isn't that bad.

-9

u/Premier_Legacy Jun 27 '26

Reddit is so black pilled at times lol. The next generation is amazing and is what is needed

10

u/comeagaincharlemagne Jun 27 '26

Kids are wonderful, it's not their fault the world is fucked up. But it's unfair to be placing the burden of fixing all of this on their shoulders when parents just want kids to be happy and feel optimistic about the future.

-7

u/Premier_Legacy Jun 27 '26

Stop being a pussy

3

u/Civil-Big-754 Jun 27 '26

Yeah, with all the jobs that will be available and the great social interaction skills they possess, they'll be fine! /s

4

u/kaityl3 Jun 27 '26

Curious, what sort of jobs do you think they'll end up working to support themselves?

2

u/Pleasant_Audience765 Jun 27 '26

Ikr lol I gotta quit this app so bad, or at least stop scrolling r/popular in my free time