For the people who were on the fence about having a 4th, whatever you decided...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wrong place to ask, OP. DCUM viscerally hates bigger families.

Nobody viscerally hates big families. I hate people who use religion to pressure families to have more children than they want, and people who can't give their kids enough attention.

How do you feel about cultures that pressure people to have fewer children than they actually want? Or pressure men and women to work abnormally long hours in order to have well-regraded or “prestigious” careers?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why are people having 3 kids, let alone 4, with all the environmental problems we face? I don't get it.

American birth rate isn't at replacement level, if you want to go a country where overpopulation is a real issue and lecture them go ahead, but our population is falling. If you plan on collecting social security one day I suggest encouraging Americans to have children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are people having 3 kids, let alone 4, with all the environmental problems we face? I don't get it.

American birth rate isn't at replacement level, if you want to go a country where overpopulation is a real issue and lecture them go ahead, but our population is falling. If you plan on collecting social security one day I suggest encouraging Americans to have children.

Immigration can help too

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are people having 3 kids, let alone 4, with all the environmental problems we face? I don't get it.

American birth rate isn't at replacement level, if you want to go a country where overpopulation is a real issue and lecture them go ahead, but our population is falling. If you plan on collecting social security one day I suggest encouraging Americans to have children.

Immigration can help too

No.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are people having 3 kids, let alone 4, with all the environmental problems we face? I don't get it.

American birth rate isn't at replacement level, if you want to go a country where overpopulation is a real issue and lecture them go ahead, but our population is falling. If you plan on collecting social security one day I suggest encouraging Americans to have children.

Immigration can help too

No.

Why not? Look at the Canadian and Australian systems - merit based immigration for educated professionals who can support themselves.

[Anonymous]

Merit based is the key. Not illiterate, no more landscapers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Think about the effect on the kids. Attention, etc. It's not all about you.

FWIW my parents are both from families of four, as is my husband, and they had wonderful childhoods, are super close to their siblings and parents. They all have great individual relationships with their parents and I don't think they feel like they got "lost".

My closest friend is the youngest of four and never felt fully appreciated by her parents. Felt like she was largely raised by older siblings. YMMV.

I think it has SO much to do with the parents. My SIL has four and rarely interacts with them. As a result, her kids aren't close to her. My friend was one of eight and is very close with both her parents and all her siblings. I think you can have one kid or ten and your relationship with your parents has more to do with your parents and less to do with the number of kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Merit based is the key. Not illiterate, no more landscapers.

Uh huh. And your ancestors, were they skilled with multiple degrees when they came over? America isn't even close to full. We need landscapers, and farm workers, and all manner of things.
Oh and my family has been here since the 1660s, so if you believe those who have been here the longest get to dictate the terms of new immigration I'm pretty sure my opinion matters more than yours.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Merit based is the key. Not illiterate, no more landscapers.

So you have a thing against landscapers?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are people having 3 kids, let alone 4, with all the environmental problems we face? I don't get it.

American birth rate isn't at replacement level, if you want to go a country where overpopulation is a real issue and lecture them go ahead, but our population is falling. If you plan on collecting social security one day I suggest encouraging Americans to have children.

US has the highest greenhouse gas emissions and each extra child added is the biggest source for the emission so yeah it’s not responsible to have more kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are people having 3 kids, let alone 4, with all the environmental problems we face? I don't get it.

American birth rate isn't at replacement level, if you want to go a country where overpopulation is a real issue and lecture them go ahead, but our population is falling. If you plan on collecting social security one day I suggest encouraging Americans to have children.

US has the highest greenhouse gas emissions and each extra child added is the biggest source for the emission so yeah it’s not responsible to have more kids.

That's not true. And, if you're so worried about it why did you have children at all? Or are you childless and trolling a parenting board?

[Anonymous]

My fourth kid might be the one to solve global warming.

If you are going to be upset with anyone, try corporations.

[Anonymous]

[Anonymous]

For us (with three kids) it is travel (being able to rent a small car and have the three kids in the back).

I do feel a pang sometimes, especially because my oldest asks for a brother. But I grew up in a family of five kids and we often didn't get the attention we needed, and we still deal with the ramifications of that as adults.

[Anonymous]

all the rental places have minivans. love our four