When is the best age to have kids?

[Astronuc]

What do you mean? Smart people don't have kids and dumb people do?

That applies in some cases. I was reflecting about that and about what I see everyday. I work near Social Security and the local government offices, so we see lots of folks who receive public assistance. They have one, two, three . . . kids, and in many cases the mother is single. I've seen several cases of sinlge mothers and multiple fathers. Those mothers ought not to be having children - especially when they expect the state (taxpayer/society) to pick up the bill! But then - no one needs have a license to have kids. I also have to wonder about the fathers I see who apparently are unemployed, based on the fact that I see them on the street so obviously they are not working.

My wife and daughter are helping a friend look after twins in the foster care system. The twins are daughter and son of a now 19 year girl, who got pregnant at 16 (effectively dropped out in 8th grade), had the kids a 17 and lost them because of neglect - she went out and got high, rather than work and raise her kids. She recently got ejected from a local bar and topped it off by getting arrested for assaulting a police officer (she has anger management issues ). Now multiply her case by several hundred thousand.

How many of the 6 million Americans in the criminal justice system have produced kids? That's part of the population I see everyday on my lunchtime walks, when I run errands, or when I go to and from work.

 

[tgt]

No one "needs" to have a child. I was planning to be childless, and would have been perfectly happy without children.

But does having a child increase your happiness?

How did you end up having children then?

 

[t-bone-steak]

28 i rekon is about right, depends on your situation i guess