Anyone Child Free By Choice?

Glitzkiss

andrealm wrote: »

Exactly, most people are essentially paying for themselves, you rely on the system as a child and in old age and during your working life you pay tax and NI. No one needs to thank anyone else unless they live on benefits throughout their lives when they are perfectly capable of working. I assume nobody begrudges those who are genuinely unable to work due to serious illness or disability?

Was your question in the 3rd paragraph of post 277 rhetorical? If it was then I missed it and thought it was a genuine question. Thus I thought you believed we should be grateful for future generations "paying" for our care in later life.

Sorry if I got this wrong

andrealm

Yes it was rhetorical. I don't believe you should be grateful for future generations paying for your care in later life but neither do I think parents should be grateful for non-parents for paying for their children's healthcare and education.

BubblyMumbles

andrealm wrote: »

Yes it was rhetorical. I don't believe you should be grateful for future generations paying for your care in later life but neither do I think parents should be grateful for non-parents for paying for their children's healthcare and education.

So how about a system where all the non-parents pay in to a fund that supports us and us alone, and all the parents pay in to a fund that support them and their kids only, I wonder which one would be in trouble first?

Heffalumpi

Another CFBC here. Myself and OH got married 11 years ago and would constantly get asked when we were having children. People would then look stunned when we said in unison 'Never!', and like many others we got 'You'll change your mind'.

So here we are 11 years later, child free and very happy. To be honest I have no maternal bones in my body and children do nothing for me. I have 5 nephews who are great but I have to say that I am not really involved with them and they leave me feeling rather bored. I cannot stand the way that when children are around everything has to be so child centric, and any other conversation is unimaginable.

I know that many people love children and are fantastic parents, it's just not for me, and I applaude you for your choice. I think that we are really lucky in this day and age where we can have a true choice on these matters.

Glitzkiss

andrealm wrote: »

Yes it was rhetorical. I don't believe you should be grateful for future generations paying for your care in later life but neither do I think parents should be grateful for non-parents for paying for their children's healthcare and education.

I agree with you fully on this. I think as a society we should pull together and pay for things even when we don't appear to materialistically benefit from it. If we don't then we are no longer a nation but a group of people working for only themselves.

Person_one

Glitzkiss wrote: »

I agree with you fully on this. I think as a society we should pull together and pay for things even when we don't appear to materialistically benefit from it. If we don't then we are no longer a nation but a group of people working for only themselves.

"From each according to their ability, to each according to their need."

Ok, I'm a raging socialist, but I truly strongly believe in a system where the strong support the weak, where everybody has a safety net and where creating a peaceful functioning society is everybody's shared responsibility whatever their role within it.

I'm CFBC but I am proud and happy that my taxes are spent on educating and caring for other people's children because I am glad to contribute to them growing up as productive, pleasant members of society. (I know it doesn't always work out like that but that's always the goal!).

I also don't mind paying for healthcare for smokers or benefits for people who avoid work. Its more important that the system be there for those who truly need it then trying to punish those who abuse it.

ariarnia

Person_one wrote: »

"From each according to their ability, to each according to their need."

Ok, I'm a raging socialist, but I truly strongly believe in a system where the strong support the weak, where everybody has a safety net and where creating a peaceful functioning society is everybody's shared responsibility whatever their role within it.

I'm CFBC but I am proud and happy that my taxes are spent on educating and caring for other people's children because I am glad to contribute to them growing up as productive, pleasant members of society. (I know it doesn't always work out like that but that's always the goal!).

I also don't mind paying for healthcare for smokers or benefits for people who avoid work. Its more important that the system be there for those who truly need it then trying to punish those who abuse it.

Systems like that are rife with abuse, and you say you don't mind that abuse, but too much abuse and the system is there for no one. people choose to have children - good. some people choose to have children because it will get them more points in social housing and get child benefit - not good.

BubblyMumbles

Person_one wrote: »

"From each according to their ability, to each according to their need."

Ok, I'm a raging socialist, but I truly strongly believe in a system where the strong support the weak, where everybody has a safety net and where creating a peaceful functioning society is everybody's shared responsibility whatever their role within it.

I'm CFBC but I am proud and happy that my taxes are spent on educating and caring for other people's children because I am glad to contribute to them growing up as productive, pleasant members of society. (I know it doesn't always work out like that but that's always the goal!).

I also don't mind paying for healthcare for smokers or benefits for people who avoid work. Its more important that the system be there for those who truly need it then trying to punish those who abuse it.

I also strongly believe in the concept that was the welfare state, however that's not what actually happens. It's a bit like communisim, great idea in theory, never going to work in practice.

I am all for contributing to a system that is equitable which is not the case with the welfare state. If I should be happy contributing to paying for education for other people's children, other people's choice, then they should be happy to contribute towards my choices. That's doesn't happen.

And as a smoker I've more than paid my share for when I need the NHS because of the tax I pay on cigarettes, same with alcohol and health related problems that might happen from that, what extra texes are people with kids paying?

Person_one

ariarnia wrote: »

Systems like that are rife with abuse, and you say you don't mind that abuse, but too much abuse and the system is there for no one. people choose to have children - good. some people choose to have children because it will get them more points in social housing and get child benefit - not good.

Ok, well how do you enforce making sure only 'deserving' people get benefits? And is it really ok to punish and disadvantage a child who didn't ask to be born for its parents poor choices? No, you have to take care of that child and try to steer it, through education, towards making better choices as an adult. By abandoning people who abuse the system you just perpetuate the problem through future generations who know no other way to behave.

Person_one

BubblyMumbles wrote: »

I also strongly believe in the concept that was the welfare state, however that's not what actually happens. It's a bit like communisim, great idea in theory, never going to work in practice.

I am all for contributing to a system that is equitable which is not the case with the welfare state. If I should be happy contributing to paying for education for other people's children, other people's choice, then they should be happy to contribute towards my choices. That's doesn't happen.

And as a smoker I've more than paid my share for when I need the NHS because of the tax I pay on cigarettes, same with alcohol and health related problems that might happen from that, what extra texes are people with kids paying?

How do you feel the system should be contributing to your choice? What need do you have that you can't fulfil yourself that is specific to being child free? You are getting healthcare, you will get a state pension (hopefully!) and if you were to become unemployed or disabled you would receive support. What specific needs arise from being child free that you feel aren't catered for?