The effect of all this uncertainty...

[Theoracle]

Hello everyone,

I have read some interesting threads on partners and their views on our prepping activities, my fiancé is not at all against me prepping,she says its good I'm thinking of the future! She is desperate to have a baby, is it bad that I'm thinking its not a good idea until things iron themselves out a little? Desperate to be a dad also, but I just worry (maybe unnecessarily) about bringing a baby into this world when things are so uncertain, anyone else have this conudrum?

[diamond lil]

Oracle pet - couples have felt this way since Adam & Eve. There is no right time to have a baby, if you wait for it then you'll never have one. There is always some ongoing crisis in the world, it isn't confined to this time and this place.. but the world keeps on turning and babies keep on coming!

[Plymtom]

I agreee with Lil, there's always some crisis, if the time feels right and you can afford it for the foreseeable then why not, preppers have got to live, the wheel turns.

[dead-man-walking]

tbh now is the ideal time to have a baby, it maybe a struggle raising a child during a long economic "downturn", but
chances are when the child has grown up, he/she will emerge from school into a semi boyant market.
most if not all goverments are predicting around 10 yrs of slow growth, so factor in 3-5 yrs of decline before growth and you have a ball park of 15yrs till the next "boom" period

tbh kids are only as expensive to raise as you let them be, im a "tight" parent with my 3 and they get what they need and extras are treats only and aimed at being passed down, ie game consoles and laptops etc, im honest with them, when they are moaning what thier friends have etc,
i just give them the choice of the new shiney or a few decent meals

[PreppingPingu]

Just think of the things that you can plan to do with your lil'un when he or she is a bit older - I have worked with pre school and primary school aged children for some time now and they are little sponges that absorb so much from the world around and what they see, hear and learn. You can make and create things with him or her - gardening, cooking, wood work etc. All children now know about global warming, recycling and ecco measures. You can impart your knowledge and thoughts to the next generation, the generation of the future. Besides as Diamond lil said, - there isn't a "right time" for a baby - you just go for it and enjoy the ride. I planned our first child, the other was a surprise! (A very happy surprise) but it was just that my husband wasn't "planning it" at that moment but it turned out to be the best thing that's happened.

We don't know what the world will throw at us but we never have and never will. You can't stay indoors just coz you're worried you might get knocked over by a car - so in the same way don't let the world's worries prevent you from starting a family. Family tends to make you stronger in many ways and is a vital support network. Besides we all need someone to choose our care home one day Just kidding!

[Theoracle]

Bless you all! Thanks so much for the kind replies, so happy to be around people with the same values and beliefs, it Really is a breath of fresh air.

Your all absolutely right, the world will carry on turning and the point about maybe him or her coming of age Into a semi buoyant market is definitely one of the ways to look at it. Well, who knows who will appear in due course!

Happy Thursday evening to you all

[buttystella]

I started a family in my younger years unfortunately the child died a few months old. This put me off having another but when i reached forty i went for it again and got two daughters close together then low and behold at fifty the contraception failed and i got a son, i was very fit in those days. My son comes in really handy for lifting things and does a little on the allotment at times but his interests are much different from mine. My advice is to understand that you have many years to choose when to have a child but you both need to be of the same mind and the less debt you have the better it is, note i do not say easier because to rear a child properly requires total dedication and we all make mistakes.

[TwoDo]

I have read some interesting threads on partners and their views on our prepping activities, my fiancé is not at all against me prepping,she says its good I'm thinking of the future! She is desperate to have a baby, is it bad that I'm thinking its not a good idea until things iron themselves out a little? Desperate to be a dad also, but I just worry (maybe unnecessarily) about bringing a baby into this world when things are so uncertain, anyone else have this conudrum?

Alternately, what if things continue to get worse and don't get better for quite a long time. If you have the child now you will be able to take advantage of what is still pretty good pre-natal, birth and ante-natal NHS care. Later on this might not be available. Wait too long and you will either never have a child or your fiancee will be taking more risks than necessary. I bet there are a lot of pregnant women in Greece who are right now wishing they had their babies a couple of years ago.

About the only reason I could see to delay would be if you were unsure of your relationship with your fiancee. Single moms with babies are really going to struggle if government support is hard to get. As previously, I bet there are a lot of single moms in Greece right now who are wishing they had made some different decisions.

[jansman]

All of the above. Full stop.
There is no rule book. The fact you worry about bringing a child into the world( I think) means you care. You will make mistakes, you will row with your eldest because she has been clubbing 'til God knows when, and have to pick up the tab when she crashes her car!

But din't forget the birthdays and Christmas. School plays and seaside holidays.
Kids , like life, is a journey. Enjoy it.

[bigdan]

the good thing about having children is, at christmas and birthdays you can buy them great present ....... like a leatherman tool for their first birthday and maybe a shotgun for the following xmas, then a four wheel drive for the next one etc etc.... they wont mind at all that you borrow them until theyre old enough to use them !!!