Less is more

My married officemate is again in a financial quandary. She needs money to pay-off a debt.

Considering that her husband doesn't have a stable job and with children she can ill afford to raise, she'd have to squeeze-out what other financial sources she has at the moment ... that could possibly include me (that is if I give in to her constant, palpable hints).

There is no point in giving her another lecture on family planning and financial literacy.... that doesn't seem to get through her.

What makes matters worse is that she's not alone in this office. It appears that her dilemma is repeated in several other married officemates ( I hate to admit this, but it seems borrowing money is part of the culture here).

You don't need to be a math wizard or a rocket scientist to know the advantages of having less or no children in a marriage. There are less mouths to feed, less friction (several people in the house mean living with several different personalities), more food on the table, more attention for each member of the family, more savings, less debts, better education for the kids etc.

Whether you like it or not, those cute, "bundles of joy" will eat up into your savings. I don't want to sound heartlesss, but financially speaking, children are a pecuniary liability. That is why raising kids is only recommended for those who are financially capable (aside from being emotional mature, of course).

Most people go into marriage and have babies because it's expected of them or they fear growing old alone. From experience, I've realized that what society expects of us doesn't always mean it's good for us. And alone doesn't automatically mean lonely; nor can anyone say with certainty that she will be happy in a crowd of children.

I know that what I'm saying here is too radical for most people and I don't expect everyone to bite.