Assessing the net value of children

I might be crazy, but I believe a pretty significant reason that many people have kids is so that they... can have a family?

I'm also fairly sure that most people are not expecting their kids to make them any money, or go bragging about their hefty ROI from a son who went on to be a successful lawyer.

It's nothing new that kids cost money. Sure, college is a big cost that maybe not everyone was expected to need years and years ago, but in this day and age its more and more likely that students are paying for it themselves to an extent, through either scholarships, loans, or part-time work.

For other expenses, I would think that having kids is almost like "paying it forward". YOUR parents must have spent money on you and your potential siblings throughout your life, so why is it suddenly a huge burden when you're expected to do the same for someone else?

I feel like the article made it seem like having a kid these days was a poor investment decision (which is an understatement of course), and nothing more. I'd almost feel sorry for his son, which he seems to give absolutely no credit to for being a success.