5A: http://padlet.com/wall/6gjtnnxatj

4A: http://padlet.com/wall/ohx6pimqzf

5B: http://padlet.com/wall/32y1bcr7j9

ANDCOSTS ASSOCIATED WITH PARENTING

(NOT JUST FINANCIAL)

Overview: The Positive and Negative Reasons People Have

Children

The Decision to Parent…….

Should be based off of “good” or “positive” reasons and should not be something that is considered lightly.

Is the BIGGEST decision you will make in your life time. Make sure you are ready and doing it for all the right reasons.

Some of the NEGATIVE reasons….

You are pregnant (not everyone who becomes pregnant is meant to be a parent, one might consider adoption)

To help save a struggling marriage or relationship

It will force your partner to marry you Everyone else is having oneYour parents or your partners parents are

pressuring you for grandchildrenYour spouse wants children

More NEGATIVE reasons……

To carry on your family nameYou are getting older and your biological

clock is tickingYou will have someone to care for you in your

old ageBabies are cuteTax deductions

Though some of the before mentioned reasons are possible considerations when having children none of them should be considered as THE reason to have children.

Some of the POSITIVE reasons

1. To Create a FamilyYou and your spouse are ready – financially

and emotionally – to bring a new life into the world. You long to nurture and raise a little person who will likely be similar to you but still completely unique.

POSITIVE REASONS

2. To Fulfill a Devotion to ChildrenYou love children and you’re ready to have a

family of your own.

3. To have a sense of purposePeople get the call for certain vocations. Some

people feel this way about parenthood. They feel as though they were meant to guide a child. They believe they could do a good job of steering the child in the right direction, so that he or she has a productive, healthy, happy life.

POSITIVE REASONS

4. You have love to giveIf you see parenthood as an opportunity to

pass on the good things you’ve been given (or to provide your child with the love and support you may not have received as a child), you are on the right track. Parenthood is about more than passing on our hereditary genes—it is about passing on our values, passions and strengths.

Parenting Sacrifices

Social: Dealing with changes in lifestyle; less time for self, spouse, friends

Emotional: Providing constant, unconditional love and support over the child’s lifetime; balancing nurturing with discipline and structure

Intellectual: Making parenting choices about complex problems, managing resources necessary for parenting

More Parenting Sacrifices

Physical: Experiencing pregnancy and delivery; meeting the physical demands of 24-hour care, maintaining high levels of energy for caring for children

Financial: Buying food, clothing, and supplies as well as planning for large expenditures; providing a place to live and appropriate insurance

Occupational: Managing effects on career; dealing with added stress