With society’s changes in various aspects of life, and as people make their way through the changes, important life decisions must be made. It is important for someone to evaluate the situation they are in, and plan their life accordingly. For this reason, a person is likely to choose an animal over having a kid. Today’s newer generations, particularly Gen Z, choose to get an animal over having a child. Getting an animal over having a child is likely due to the cost difference between the two, the care each option needs, and how much one of the decisions will predominate someone’s life. Let’s start off by looking at the cost of an animal versus a child.
When looking at the cost, it is important to consider how much money it will take over the period a person will have each possibility under their care. As Miranda Tinsley states, being in Gen Z herself, “a lot of people would prefer having an animal over having a kid because animals are less expensive.” She is proved right by research, over 18 years, a child will cost about $51,497 per year, or about $926,946 for all 18 years in California, according to www.parents.com. Analyzing the most common pet, a dog, over an average lifetime of 13 years, according to www.petcarerx.com, on average, a dog will cost $4,512 per year, or about $35,452 for all 13 years in California, according to www.marketwatch.com. Therefore, owning a dog is much cheaper than raising a child. For the cost of one year of taking care of a child, someone could take care of a dog for their entire life. Not only that, but job opportunities could depend on the choice someone makes.
When someone first has a child, the child must be at the mother’s attention for weeks, ensuring they are appropriately cared for and bonding with them. As a mother to two children, Kerry Lyons says, “it takes a village to take care of a child, especially when you are a working parent.” To take care of a child correctly, a person needs to feed them when they are hungry, change their diapers, get up in the middle of the night with them, swaddle them, and bathe them often. A person can not leave their child alone and must ensure they are always with someone for the next few years of their life. When returning to the dog, even though they need attention, someone can leave them alone for a few hours with no one, and they will be fine. A person might say that an owner will also have to feed their dog when they are hungry, but someone can set the time with an animal, but not a child. Moreover, an owner might also have to get up with a dog at night while they are potty training them. However, the owner does not need to get up every hour like someone has to do with a child. Bathing a dog is also something an owner might have to do, but they do not need to be bathed as much as a child. With all that work, a child may predominate someone’s life more than an animal, just like when someone travels.
When traveling, a person can stick their dog in a “hotel” while they are forced to bring their child and make arrangements for them on a trip. Also, someone’s life would revolve around the child, such as doctor appointments, sports, clubs, projects, school work, toys, etc. A dog may predominate someone’s life a bit, but they don’t need to put them in sports or clubs, have them do projects, and help them with their school work. While someone still has to take them to wellness appointments and get them toys, it is still not as much work as having a child. However, there are several benefits to having a child instead of an animal.
With what has been said above, a child can communicate with others, bring someone more joy because they share the same blood, do more with someone, create more precious moments than a person would have with an animal, and care for their parents when they grow older if necessary. A person will probably love their child more than an animal, not saying someone wouldn’t love their animal, but a child is a part of the parents that created it.
Overall, Gen Z may want to have an animal over a child because they are cheaper, need less care, and dominate their lives less. Each person has to make their own decisions based on the life they want to have. A child can fulfill a person’s life more significantly than an animal might. However, having kids and caring for that child still takes more work. It is up to each person to decide what is best for them, according to what they see in their future.
