Ask Lemmy

Yup. Between climate collapse, wealth shift to the ultra wealthy, and the global surge in popularity of right wing extremist authoritarianism, I don't see things improving any time soon.

Things are rapidly degrading, and intentionally dropping a child into the dumpster fire we're turning our planet into is an act of cruelty and selfishness that few others measure up to.

Having a vasectomy was probably the best decision I've made - not for my sake, but the kid's and any even less fortunate grandkids and so on.

My own parents have finally fucked off a bit about when their grandchildren are coming, and lecturing me on how I'm cheating myself out of life's greatest joy or some shit... I think current events have finally become so glaringly bad that even they can't ignore it, but reminding them constantly about how unfair that would be for the kid was so fucking tiring.

People be fucking.

There were kids conceived and born during the Holocaust.

I do, but I also acknowledge that I may be wrong, and that the parents are free to make their own choices.

Hell id definitely have been better off being born 20 years earlier

You personally, maybe. But a lot of other people no. I'm thinking about disease we found and will find cures for, acceptation of differences (gender, neurodiversity etc...), advancement in prosthetic technologies and all the other things.

As history advances some people will be better of, some less and the tides always turn.

I used to.

Kids have never been something I never saw myself having. I have nephews and nieces and I used to worry about them.

They’ve grown up a bit and the kids are actually doing alright. In my family they are all loved and they’re well behaved kids.

They’re getting proper diagnoses and treatment for their adhd that my brothers and I probably should have gotten as kids. Instead we all got countless detentions and suspensions in school.

School these days is kind of a mess, but my nieces and nephews all have parents who step in and help. The biggest thing for one who was getting bullied was switching schools, it was a total 180 in his life after leaving that environment.

The omnipresent tech and AI stuff is a mess too. I think having involved and caring parents helps a lot with that. It’s harder to fall into the traps when you have good examples in life. Hopefully that keeps up.

As for money/job prospects that was a huge concern when I was coming of age too. 2008 fucked everything up. This too shall pass the youth job market has always been tough for the last 25 years. They’ll figure it out with a bit of help. They’re not doomed here. As long as there are people there will be needs to fill.

I do worry about the climate. I don’t know how to help with that. I try to do good but it’s beyond my control to stop. All we can do is try to mitigate and adapt.

I definitely would not want a child now. I believe the uncertainty of the speed of climate change and the global suffering that comes with it all would be a terrible burden for everyone.

Having a child in 2025 is just plain selfish.

Yeah. It is like a kid being born in the 1930's.

Children born today will have to kill other human beings to obtain clean water within their lifetime.

It really comes down to if you think that's an acceptable world to have kids in.

I weep for the youth personally.

Yup.

No, I try to keep in mind that most situations are transient and I don't really know what people born today are going to be dealing with.

Climate change looks pretty bad for people going into the future, don't want to discount or downplay that. But other things, from the terrible political trends and hatred to wars to failed or booming economies will ebb and flow over lifetimes, and it's hard to say in many ways if the future holds better or worse for today's children.