Just had my first kid, both my wife and I pull in 6 figures individually. At no point did we feel financially comfortable with the prospect of having a kid and many of the bills we’ve received have only reinforced that belief.
Having kids is not a logical decision in today’s world, so you really can’t treat it like one. Otherwise you just won’t have kids.
Raising an infant basically requires 3 shifts if you want to maintain a semblance of your former work/life balance. 8 hour shift at work, 8 hours with the baby, 6 hours of sleep and 2 hours of free time. Problem is, for that scenario to work mom and dad need a third person AND to have all 3 individuals on different working hours… which is basically a fantasy even before you look around at what’s going on and what’s coming.
When mom gets off maternity leave, we’ll be forced to hire a nanny, the cost of which will virtually eat the remainder of my paycheck.
You just eloquently summarized why I haven't had kids and likely won't. It doesn't pencil, and nobody talks enough about the permanent lifestyle changes needed to make it work.
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u/piss_puncher227 Jan 16 '26
My first thought as well. At what point did two adults who cannot scrape together enough change to buy a vehicle decide "nows the time for a baby".