Why do we have kids?

Earlier last week, my cousin gave birth to a beautiful little boy, adding to the baby boy born to my other cousin last August, making me an Aunt to two little cutie pies. It’s such an amazing miracle, and they bring so much joy and excitment into our lives. But it got me to wonder, why do we have kids?

Apart from the purely instinctive desire to reproduce and keep our species alive, the love for children and being a parent, and a means to pass down traditions and wealth, what else makes us so in love with these little creatures that we are willing to give unconditionally to love and raise them without any expectations of return?

Or are there expectations?

My father used to say that it’s a duty and responsibility for everyone to have children in our society. I didn’t quite understand it until recently when the increase of our CPP was on the news. Since the life expectancy of average Canadians have grown way beyond when the CPP was first introduced, and the baby boomers are about to retire, we had to increase everyone’s CPP contributions in order to secure and provide enough for the people that are retiring. In a way my father was right, if we didn’t have enough younger workforce paying into the pension plan, no one would be able to retire in the end. By having children (and lots of them), you are basically investing into Canada’s pension system. If we ever get to the point where our population looks like a downward triangle with the most aging population on top, there wouldn’t be any CPP, and we would all have to save up for our own retirement without any help from the government.

Moreover, it is already very tough to just live off the pension plan right now, and I wonder if there will be any left for us when we retire. Therefore I think it’s time everyone took a closer look at their own finances and start developing financial intellegence. It’s never a bad idea to save up for yourself, and even if there were enough pension to go around for everyone, having the extra money on hand can never hurt.

So go ahead, have kids and enjoy them. Create lifelong memories and provide them with love, attention and the best possible care. Treat them like the angels they are and not let your finances be the burden they have to pay for with their lives.