Babies and the Economy

Times too hard to have a baby? Some couples apparently think so.

by Jenice Armstrong

Published Dec. 11, 2008, 5:56 p.m. ET

Times too hard to have a baby? Some couples apparently think so. According to a recent Los Angeles Times story, many are rethinking their plans to expand their families in light of the current economic downturn.

"As the financial crisis reverberates through Wall Street, Washington and beyond, it is taking a personal toll on couples who are making the painful decision to postpone starting -- or growing -- their families. Once hopeful about their ability to provide for children, prospective parents are now filled with gnawing doubts as jobs vanish, retirement savings dwindle and housing prices fall -- even as the cost of having and raising a child rises. Many economists fear that the current recession will become one of the worst since the Great Depression. When that hit in the 1930s, the birthrate dropped precipitously, and the effects of having fewer people in the workforce rippled through the economy two decades later." -

— LA Times

I've heard that when it comes to certain events such as having a child, you're supposed to just throw caution to the wind as they say and do it. Otherwise, there will always be a reason not to. But if you ask To me, that flies in the face of common sense. How could you even think about bringing another person in the world if you're facing a possible layoff or if you can't pay your mortgage? I know people do it all the time, but it doesn't make sense, if you ask me. What do you think? Should couples let the economy be a factor in their decision to have a child? After all, how many of us were born to parents who were young and whose economic futures were uncertain?