Many people are pressured by the influences of society and in-laws to give birth to as many children as possible. People are pressured to have 3, 4, and even 5 children which in most cases they cannot afford to cater for.

However, the Era where children were assets to a family is long dead. About 20 to 30 years ago, having many children meant that you had more labor on the farm, and more labor to help with planting and harvesting. And in the dry season more labor to help carry firewood, burn charcoal and hunt for animals and even go fishing.

School fees were virtually free, and living conditions were very moderate with little competition in society.

We didn't wear baby diapers when we were kids, and all the expensive expenditure associated with child birth was not present in those days.

Today in the 21st Century with very high cost of living, children are no longer an emotional decision but a purely economic decision. Children are very expensive to cater for. Don't let anyone deceive you into rushing to have children if you are not ready for the responsibility of becoming a father or mother.

Some private schools even charge more fees for a 1-year-old baby than most public Universities. The average number of years it would take for a child to complete school is 20 years that is if the child’s education is uninterrupted.

School fees alone can take up more than 40% of the wages of parents. And the truth is that 90% of graduates who complete tertiary institutions will not get jobs. The educational system today is very expensive with very poor returns at the end of the day.

Technically, majority of investments most parents make in the education of their children will yield no dividend. This is because the ultimate essence of taking children to school is to ensure that they get jobs when they complete. But today, jobs are non-existent.

Many things parents could use children to do in those days would be described as child abuse today. Today with modern inventions, almost every household chore is automated. You don't need to light charcoal to heat water you simply use a kettle, you don't need to grind pepper on a stone you simply use a blender, you don't need to use charcoal to cook you simply turn on your gas stove and within few minutes your food is ready.

Give birth according to your financial strength, children are a liability if you don't have the resources to cater for them. Don't produce children and make them a burden on uncles and aunties and in turn call them wicked when they are not willing to bear the responsibility of your improper planning.

The world has changed and people need to understand the new reality. If you have fewer children, you can better educate and provide for them to ensure that they become very responsible adults in the future.

Having many children beyond your financial capacity, on the contrary, will affect all the children which will, in the long run, produce irresponsible adults in the future who would in turn become a liability to society tomorrow.

It is wickedness to give birth to children you cannot take care of. Just take a look at the street children, take a look at the children who are dumped at the orphanages due to no fault of theirs.

It is not the ability to produce children that makes one a father or a mother but the ability to cater for their child.

Children are a gift from God, but having more than you can actually cater for might be your greatest doom.


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