I enjoyed visiting Casa de Manana because it reminded me of many of my family members or other family friends who I have not seen in a while. All the seniors I listened to spoke of a love of travelling and had gone to places like Antarctica, Soviet Union, and China pre-Tiananmen Square. Clearly, it took resources to be able to travel so much, but it also showed the economic cost of having children. The couple I spoke to did not have children, thus, they were able to afford a more glamorous lifestyle and travel. The choice whether or not to have children (adopted, foster, biological, etc) is a major financial choice as well as a family one, and the active choice not to have children has tangible effects on one’s quality of living and amount of freedom. It was surprising that one of the women had nine children and still have travelled so much, but she must have had a very large amount of resources. For the rest of us, it almost seems like a choice to have children, or to have more financial freedom and wiggle room. Children can be a source of joy and pride, but it is expensive to have a child, with the cost of basic things like diapers, cribs, and another mouth to feed, but also important things such as childcare, education, and extracurricular activities. Sustained activities like sports and choir not only take a lot of the child’s and parents time and can have large fees and driving commitments, but can prevent a child from holding an afterschool job.
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ELIZABETH PEEKWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
June 2019
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