The Case Against Having 19 Kids
In completely non-shocking news, Michelle Duggar does not believe in overpopulation. Along with other non-beliefs such as birth control and spending more than $25 for a haircut, Duggar says that "the idea of overpopulation is not accurate." Whatever that means. I'm not sure how an actual thing that exists can't be accurate, but logic isn't Michelle's strong suit. What is is making babies and she's going to keep on doing it because every baby is like a flower. Or something.
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Listen, if that lady wants to keep beating up her uterus until it falls right out, that's her business. But she should at least recognize that more children do take up more resources, no matter how many hand-me-downs are worn. Those things have to be washed, do they not?
On the other side, you've got people who actually plan their family based on the potential carbon footprint. You know those people, right?
Before having children (obviously because after you have children, you kind of forget about all of this stuff), I've heard friends declare that they will only have one child, in consideration of the environment. I've also heard the "two children maximum" argument because by stopping at two, you've created replacements for yourself and your partner, and that's enough.
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Yes, these people are generally from Berkeley, and they consider the environment before their own mothers, who would love to have some grandchildren before they're too old to enjoy them or, god forbid, dead.
While I do applaud the thought put into procreating in a responsible manner, I also know that I never consulted Al Gore when I got pregnant. I knew I couldn't handle a lot and, quite frankly, was skeptical about even having one child. That need trumped the need to keep disposable diapers out of the landfills, even though having only two children is somewhat helpful. But what's really helpful is knowing your limits. Not so much for the air quality, but for your quality of life.
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The point being, we should be aware of our environmental impact whether through family planning, or reducing, reusing, and recycling. Which means, those Duggars better start walking and riding their bikes while carrying their food in their hands, if they want to stop being a huge drain on Mother Earth. And people that are more concerned about the environment than their own personal happiness might try to find a balance as well. Might I suggest a family of four that shops vintage and uses public transportation?
Did you consider the environment when planning your family?
Image via Arenamontanus/Flickr
Written by April Peveteaux for CafeMom's blog, The Stir.
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