2024 Presidential Race

[Sandstone Outcropping]

I personally don't think raising kids is that expensive right now

The biggest issue is probably housing costs. It's a lot harder for one parent to stay home than it used to be. Everyone pays that, though, so it's not really a "cost of having kids" thing.

It's kind of hard to raise kids in an apartment I'd think.

I'm getting even more OT here but how many kids do most of your friends or most of the families with kids in your kids' school have? Where I live in rural KS, I would estimate that most families have 3-4 kids. Families with 5 kids are not unheard of but people never have more than 5 kids unless they are trying to prove a religious point of some sort. Like if someone completes their family with just 0-2 kids there is an assumption that the couple must have some sort of fertility issue. The cost of living, esp housing is really cheap here. I know one of only one couple (not close friend, friends of friends) who openly says, "nah, we don't want kids, we want to be able to travel and spend our time/money on stuff other than raising kids."

[mocat]

I personally don't think raising kids is that expensive right now

The biggest issue is probably housing costs. It's a lot harder for one parent to stay home than it used to be. Everyone pays that, though, so it's not really a "cost of having kids" thing.

It's kind of hard to raise kids in an apartment I'd think.

nobody midwesterns harder than dlew

[star seed 7]

Lol I was just thinking the same thing

[kim carnes]

I personally don't think raising kids is that expensive right now

The biggest issue is probably housing costs. It's a lot harder for one parent to stay home than it used to be. Everyone pays that, though, so it's not really a "cost of having kids" thing.

It's kind of hard to raise kids in an apartment I'd think.

nobody midwesterns harder than dlew

There is no region of the country where that sentiment does not hold true for the majority of people. 

[kim carnes]

Like, how do you become as grossly misinformed as mocat??

[Spracne]

I personally don't think raising kids is that expensive right now

The biggest issue is probably housing costs. It's a lot harder for one parent to stay home than it used to be. Everyone pays that, though, so it's not really a "cost of having kids" thing.

It's kind of hard to raise kids in an apartment I'd think.

nobody midwesterns harder than dlew

There is no region of the country where that sentiment does not hold true for the majority of people.

How about NYC?

[wetwillie]

A 3 bedroom 2 bath house fits a family of four. That's probably what you would live in without kids anyway.

[kim carnes]

I personally don't think raising kids is that expensive right now

The biggest issue is probably housing costs. It's a lot harder for one parent to stay home than it used to be. Everyone pays that, though, so it's not really a "cost of having kids" thing.

It's kind of hard to raise kids in an apartment I'd think.

nobody midwesterns harder than dlew

There is no region of the country where that sentiment does not hold true for the majority of people.

How about NYC?

You don’t think ppl in nyc with kids want a detached home with a yard?

[CNS]

Medical insurance is nearly as, or more, expensive as a lot of folks mortgages or rents for their family.  Going to a single payer would be huge for raising a family.

Wages have to go up.  Taxes need to not go up on working and middle class(which is what trump's existing cut is about to do).  Regulation is needed on plenty of spaces like insurance, medical, etc. 

Best move in the world would be if today's GOP actually embraced the majority of their base, removed the religion component of their message, and actually enacted policies to raise wages, and lower costs for workers.

[DQ12]

I personally don't think raising kids is that expensive right now

The biggest issue is probably housing costs. It's a lot harder for one parent to stay home than it used to be. Everyone pays that, though, so it's not really a "cost of having kids" thing.

It's kind of hard to raise kids in an apartment I'd think.

Well neither candidate is going to do a single thing that will enable all adults of child bearing age to afford a single family home with a yard either.

Hey, LSOC, there's no rule requiring you to chime in on every conversation you think is stupid.  We're talking about this thing.  eff's sake.

[DQ12]

I personally don't think raising kids is that expensive right now

The biggest issue is probably housing costs. It's a lot harder for one parent to stay home than it used to be. Everyone pays that, though, so it's not really a "cost of having kids" thing.

It's kind of hard to raise kids in an apartment I'd think.

I'm getting even more OT here but how many kids do most of your friends or most of the families with kids in your kids' school have? Where I live in rural KS, I would estimate that most families have 3-4 kids. Families with 5 kids are not unheard of but people never have more than 5 kids unless they are trying to prove a religious point of some sort. Like if someone completes their family with just 0-2 kids there is an assumption that the couple must have some sort of fertility issue. The cost of living, esp housing is really cheap here. I know one of only one couple (not close friend, friends of friends) who openly says, "nah, we don't want kids, we want to be able to travel and spend our time/money on stuff other than raising kids."

Most of my friends with kids are still pumpin out, but anywhere from 2-4 seems to be what most are angling towards.  I'd be surprised if any of my friends end up with five.

My cousin has 6 but the last one was not intentional.  Funny story -- they had 5 boys and were like WE'RE DONE.  Then they found out that, surprise, they weren't done.  Everyone was encouraging the mom like "well hey, maybe this one is your girl!" Nope.  Boy number 6.

[sys]

Opportunity cost is high

Higher than it has been historically?

we're much richer than we've ever been, so yes.

[DQ12]

I personally don't think raising kids is that expensive right now

The biggest issue is probably housing costs. It's a lot harder for one parent to stay home than it used to be. Everyone pays that, though, so it's not really a "cost of having kids" thing.

It's kind of hard to raise kids in an apartment I'd think.

nobody midwesterns harder than dlew

There is no region of the country where that sentiment does not hold true for the majority of people.

How about NYC?

Yeah maybe it's preferable to raise kids in a more confined space. 

[sys]

My wife stayed home with the kids and it was wonderful for her and the kids, and I was lucky to have been able to barely afford it. However, our retirement fund is easily about half of what it would have been….15+ years we could have been maxing out a second 401K. 

Defined benefit retirement plans need to come back. Let’s incentivize that.

i don't think defined benefit retirement plans for stay at home parents is likely to be on the agenda.

[sys]

Medical insurance is nearly as, or more, expensive as a lot of folks mortgages or rents for their family.  Going to a single payer would be huge for raising a family.

Wages have to go up.  Taxes need to not go up on working and middle class(which is what trump's existing cut is about to do).  Regulation is needed on plenty of spaces like insurance, medical, etc.

 

[wetwillie]

Victims of our own success

[Spracne]

I personally don't think raising kids is that expensive right now

The biggest issue is probably housing costs. It's a lot harder for one parent to stay home than it used to be. Everyone pays that, though, so it's not really a "cost of having kids" thing.

It's kind of hard to raise kids in an apartment I'd think.

nobody midwesterns harder than dlew

There is no region of the country where that sentiment does not hold true for the majority of people.

How about NYC?

Yeah maybe it's preferable to raise kids in a more confined space.

Well of course everyone wants a sprawling estate wherever they live, but it’s not feasible some places. I reread your message and noted that you merely referred to a preference, not feasibility.

[kim carnes]

Medical insurance is nearly as, or more, expensive as a lot of folks mortgages or rents for their family.  Going to a single payer would be huge for raising a family.

Wages have to go up.  Taxes need to not go up on working and middle class(which is what trump's existing cut is about to do).  Regulation is needed on plenty of spaces like insurance, medical, etc. 

Best move in the world would be if today's GOP actually embraced the majority of their base, removed the religion component of their message, and actually enacted policies to raise wages, and lower costs for workers.

Let me get this straight, you want politicians to reduce the cost of a lot things while simultaneously raising wages?

[DQ12]

I personally don't think raising kids is that expensive right now

The biggest issue is probably housing costs. It's a lot harder for one parent to stay home than it used to be. Everyone pays that, though, so it's not really a "cost of having kids" thing.

It's kind of hard to raise kids in an apartment I'd think.

nobody midwesterns harder than dlew

There is no region of the country where that sentiment does not hold true for the majority of people.

How about NYC?

Yeah maybe it's preferable to raise kids in a more confined space.

Well of course everyone wants a sprawling estate wherever they live, but it’s not feasible some places. I reread your message and noted that you merely referred to a preference, not feasibility.

I'm not saying having kids requires a sprawling estate.  I'm saying most people want to raise their kids in a place that has like, i don't know, a yard for kids to play in.  Maybe some more room for all the kids' stuff. 

Either way, on the subject of "expense," even if you're raising kids in an apartment, an apartment for a couple of DINKs is probably less expensive than an apartment for a family of 4.  To RAtM's original point, going from no kids to kids generally requires a a more expansive/expensive living space.  Which, duh.

[sys]

get it done, politicos.   

https://x.com/Brian_Riedl/status/1813322266517635082

[kim carnes]

CNS is a great example of how disconnected voters are from reality

[michigancat]

I prefer apartment living in a walkable neighborhood to having a yard. I'd actually like a smaller apartment than I have now. But I'm just built different/elite.

[DaBigTrain]

I just moved from a 2 bedroom 2 bath apartment to a 3 bedrooms 2.5 bath house and I couldn’t go back to anything smaller now.

[wetwillie]

I prefer apartment living in a walkable neighborhood to having a yard. I'd actually like a smaller apartment than I have now. But I'm just built different/elite.

What was your setup in SF?

[michigancat]

I prefer apartment living in a walkable neighborhood to having a yard. I'd actually like a smaller apartment than I have now. But I'm just built different/elite.

What was your setup in SF?

I wasn't in SF proper but my last place there was a house on a tiny lot with a front porch and a rear deck for a grill but no yard. Before that I was a small courtyard but not a traditional grass yard.

My biggest issue now is I can't grill and it honestly gets too hot to cook for a few weeks in the summer. Basically I'm giving up a grill for being able to walk for everything I need and walk to 3 subway stations to access about anything I want + work. I spend more time outside in Brooklyn than I ever did when I had a yard or even when I lived in California.