Without independent wealth, I just don’t see how people do it without making some incredible sacrifices.
Then again, parents see the trade-offs. They'll have someone to take care of them later, to pay some of that forward to society, plus parents are often the kind of people who love babies/kids and take joy and pleasure in the process.
It totally makes the best sense to let every person decide if these trade-offs are worth it...but I do think we should support parents financially, as having a balanced age pyramid is an important thing for a society.
I completely agree, but the cynic in me just doesn't see a scenario where this is politically feasible in the US.
But, I am an optimist.
Meh. This is overrated. Lots of kids hate their parents, and never see them.
This is probably the most longterm bet any human makes, but it's also very dependent on culture. Sheltering with and caring for your elders is common in countries like Japan and India, whereas in the U.S. it usually amounts to depositing them at a nice nursing home.