Should you pay for your own children?

Question

If some families choose to have a big family why should society pay for them.

Should you pay for your own children?

It would keep the population numbers down as many people would choosed not to have any more children. Young people may think twice about having children until they are able and financially stable to pay for them.

I remember when I was younger (7 years ago I was 16) that girls would say they were goin to get pregnant so they would get a council house, free rent and single child benefit!

And I many do!!!!!

Also then they are the big families, like couples who have 15 children, the father works then fair enough but they still get help plus a big house and extras at Christmas etc. WHY? Just because they chose to have a big family!

So why should society pay?

Answer 1

If i could afford it i would have at least 7 kids but we can't so i don't. Children are not cheap i know i have two and i compleatly agree you should pay for your own children i spend enough paying for my own kids i don't like paying for everyone elses also.I may not like it but as people above have said we need to these kids are our future we need to take care of them

Just so you know ALL teenage mums don't get pregnant for a council house and benefits.(although i admit i do know some who have) I had my first child at 17 and iv never claimed a single penny from the government and we own our own home my child was not planned but i don't like to say mistake b/c they are not i was careless and got pregnant we knew straight away we wanted to do it on our own and we have and we have done well for ourselves like my grandad always says you make your bed you lie in it

Answer 2

I think you've certainly touched a raw nerve asking a question like this.

I totally agree with you though. Me and my partner both work full time, and am more than happy to work. Up until not long ago, we were renting privately, and when i was on maternity leave, we found it a struggle so decided to apply for a council place. They didnt even acknowlege us, because we work and we want to pay our way, just needed a little help for a while.

As it happens, we are now 2 weeks away from moving into a new house as things have picked up and we now have a mortgage.

But it seems the council only wants to help people that cant be bothered to help themselves.

So I guess, I just better carry on working to give us and our daughter a good life (oh and also to keep the council bums in fags and cider)

Answer 3

Society pays for the kids sake. Yeah it's not right for the parents to take advantage of the system, but should the children pay the consequences? Even if people knew that there was no assistance (money, etc.) there would still be kids out there needing help. THOSE KIDS ARE OUR FUTURE. If they don't get food, clothes and a good education we will all suffer the consequences. Plus our system helps more than just families trying to take advantage of it. I have a close friend who was raped at 17 and chose to keep the baby. (This in itself was incredible) with the state assistance she got her GED. She then got help going to college--with tuition and daycare assistance all while working full time. She now makes enough money to no longer need the states help. But there's no way she could have gotten there with out it. It's really easy to categorize and stereo type people who need assistance and lose focus of the most important people in the situation--the children.

Answer 4

I agree with you. If you cannot afford to have children, you should take precautions to make sure it does not happen.

However, it would probably be deemed religionist to bring in such a rule as removing child benefit. After all, the Catholics do not believe in contraception. It is probably also against someone's Human Rights to say that they should only have a baby if they can afford it. After all, it is everyone's right to have a baby, isn't it!

However, if we remove things like child benefit, people will say that only the rich will be able to afford children. To that I say that a responsible family will be able to afford the baby, no matter what the income is.

It annoys me that children whose parents are on benefits have computers, PSPs and so on - things my children do not have (or have had to save up to contribute towards buying them) because we cannot afford them straight off. A girl in my daughter's class (aged 7) has a car with an engine that she can sit in and drive around to her friends houses and so on - and her younger sister (aged 2 1/2!) already has a television, video, DVD and Play Station - for her, not to share!!! - oh, and the parents are on benefits (they are too ill to work, but not to have children - she's on her 4th pregnancy at the moment!)

What will they get when they are older? Will they appreciate the value of things?

It really bugs me that we are working to pay for other people to buy things that we cannot afford!

Answer 5

Most people with larger families do try to work to pay for their brood as a lot of benefits do only cover the first 4 children.

The minority you speak of although a drain on society need to be educated and reformed so the children do become honest working people who add to the economy.

They don't generally have a good quality of life and come from the lower end of society with less than ideal backgrounds.

Maybe education and opportunity are the key to turn around this situation

Answer 6

I strongly agree with you. I, also, have met young women who get pregnant simply to get a house and social security payments - and you're right, they do get what they want! Bringing a child into the world should not be taken lightly; bringing them up properly takes money and energy, both physical and mental. If we choose to have a child, it should be in the full knowledge that we alone will carry the expense of their upbringing until they're of an age to work themselves, and we should accept that responsibility. The present government has fallen over itself to dish money out to the people you describe; it's about time that everyone paid their way and stopped looking for someone else to subsidise them. Some people have said that our children are our future, which of course has always been true, but in my experience many of the children brought-up in homes kept going by SS payments, maintain that way of life in adulthood, by following the way of their parents. If a parent/parents fall on hard times through no fault of their own, then they are worthy of help, but in other cases it's all about taking responsibility, and this needs to be taught in the home from a young age.

Answer 7

I was a Single parent of 3 for 5 years, through no fault of my own. My husband decided to leave and has never contributed a penny towards his kids. I had no choice but to claim income support until my kids were at school, and i could go back to work. I now have a new partner and we recieve tax credits but only just scrap by. My kids have never been on holiday and only ever get cheap presents at christmas and birthdays. Do you think this is the life I would have liked for my children? You dont get any extra then what they decide you need to live on and no extra for xmas, so you have to scrimp and save all year. You shouldnt make sweeping generalisations. Living on benefits is not the easy life many young girls believe it to be and theres a huge percentage of us that use the system as a crutch until we are able to get back to work and pay for our own children. Please dont judge us all.

Answer 8

Apparently the birth rate is dropping. The children born now will keep you in pension so actually we should be encouraging people to have children so that enough money is generated in taxes etc to pay for us in our old age. I don't think there are many families that are huge. I also think you'll find that having children is not an easy thing - they do have to be looked after by someone, and benefits are not high.

Answer 9

This is defo a sore point for me as i am a working self sufficient single mother.....My daughter has the best i can provide in every area, however some of her friends are lacking in material things (clothes toys etc) I know you think a loving family is enough but try telling that to the kid in the street who has no bike, scooter or the latest footwear etc. These parents who have kids and dont work should think about the impact this has on their kids instead of throwing out kids who are living in poverty......

Answer 10

Some countries have provisions in their constitution to support children. Why? maybe because they were less populated and are encourgaing couples to have more to populate their country.
I am not sure if these gov't. have thought of revising constitutions.

Most advance countries have more elderly than younger ones. Marriagable people are refraining from getting married earlier, because they are first married to their career. A country will be in serious trouble if there are no next generation.

Though parents should provide for kids but thanks to gov't subsidy - which scrutinizes which one is the right candidate for help.