Why I Think Millenials Have Dogs Not Kids
It’s a hot topic, and I see it mentioned every where from real estate trend reports to the actual birth rate predictions: Millenials are waiting longer to have kids, and ultimately, many choosing not to have them at all.
From the rising cost of homes and healthcare to just the simple fact that your time no longer belongs to you, having a child doesn’t exactly sound like something to write home about for a lot of folks. I mean, don’t get me wrong, my friends who have babies love their children more than anything in the world, and I love those babies too, but that doesn’t mean I have to have my own. I would argue that’s a great reason I don’t have to (my mother disagrees).
Many of my friends have decided to delay children for now, and instead focus on raising pups, and I think there are many reasons for this. For the sake of time, I’ll give you my top 3.
Dogs can stay home alone
While new puppies aren’t exactly self-sufficient, and thanks to work-from-home many dogs have severe separation anxiety. However, most dogs can stay on their own for hours at a time. If you want to take a few hours to go to dinner and drinks, take a day trip, or even if you just want to pop out for a few hours of alone time, dogs can chill on their own. Payton doesn’t use her crate anymore, but crates work great to ensure doggos stay out of trouble, and have a space where they can feel safe. So yea, while they may be a pain in the first few months, or even years, dogs aren’t the complete time theives that babies are. You may be shelling out the big bucks for pet sitters or overnight boarding for long trips, but it’s much easier to leave a pup for the weekend than it is a kid.
Dogs cost less than kids, even with daycare and random extras
Many millennial dogs live a much better life than most family pets of years past. Still, even with the monthly BarkBox subscription, heartworm medication, vet appointments, grooming appointments, and occasional daycare visits, it’s nothing compared to a child. When I bring up daycare or preschool costs with my mom friends, I’m constantly shocked at some of the numbers they throw out. I’m probably more shocked because I know how poorly these workers and teachers are paid, but that sounds like a rant for another day. So yea, while onesies from Zara aren’t exactly breaking the bank, add in all of the other costs, and it’s insane. I’ve read a ton of articles about this topic, but it’s safe to say on the low end, it’s around $250k to raise a child to 18. I consider this extremely low because I know exactly how much sports and extracurricular activities cost. I mean, that number doesn’t even touch the rising cost of college tuition or trade school. So, I would say many of are worried we won’t be able to provide financially for our future babies.
Dogs don’t perpetuate generational trauma
This one is probably the most controversial, but I used to teach middle school, and I also remember how I was as a child, and some teenagers can really really suck. To be fair, a lot of it isn’t their fault, but it can be a high-stress time in the lives of everyone, and depending on how everyone handles it, it can result in negative long-term effects. Therapy is expensive, and for some reason, most insurance companies don’t cover it outright, so yea, most Millenials I know are working on healing and repairing generational trauma, so again, not all of us are in a space where we feel capable of raising a good human. At least not until we do the work on ourselves.
Overall, Millenials are choosing dog ownership over parenthood for many reasons, but whatever reason your friend is choosing not to have a little nugget right now is up to them, and no one owes anyone else an explanation. You may not understand or even agree, but ultimately whatever the reason someone chooses a pup over a kid is reason enough.
So, stop asking when someone is having kids and mind ya business.
Love,
Lilly
