[WarOnPrivacy]

>> actually teen pregnancy wasn't so bad

Except for the negatively impacting the ability to get the education needed for basic jobs.

> I mean, it was a thing for most of human history.

During most of human history there was a broad support system already in place.

For modern new parents, that experience extended support varies from mostly gone to totally gone.

Exasperating that: In markets with jobs, rents are 1mo typical wages.

[fwsgonzo]

Yep, we are new parents and we are almost 40. There just wasn't any moment before where it was possible to start a family. We are comfortable but utterly alone in our box, with no grandparents or extended family in sight. Also, with the expectation that outside is for cars. So, there's 1-2 hours at the end of the day for us which is largely cleaning and de-stressing. If anyone had laid this fully out for us before we made this choice, it would have been an easy heck no.

[WarOnPrivacy]

> We are comfortable but utterly alone in our box, with no grandparents or extended family in sight.

This is how we started out too (mid 20s). Isolated rural area and no family. Both of us were youngest children and had never lived around babies. Not the highest odds to start with. We birthed at home and did cloth diapers - so that tells you a bit about our mindset then.

In our favor: This was >30years ago. It was possible to work multiple entry level jobs and scrape by. That's far from possible now.

[ponector]

>> there's 1-2 hours at the end of the day for us

Not so bad! I feel like "time for us" is all hours you can cut from 8h sleeping time.