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Whether or not to have children is a very personal decision. Some folks decide to dedicate their lives to their beloved pets. Many people have very strong opinions on what everyone should do either way, and this can lead to a bit of tension whenever the question comes up.
TikToker content creator Megan Kolioupoulos, aka @megkoli, went viral after sparking a fiery discussion online. She shared how she’d told her husband that she would give up having kids if her cat were to live forever. The clip ended up polarizing the internet. Scroll down for the full story.
RELATED:
One TikToker started an intense discussion on the internet about being a pet parent versus raising kids
Image credits: @megkoli
Yeah, so apparently I said an insane thing, and I’m getting flamed by literally every single person I ask, except for people who don’t actually want kids already.
But I said this the other day to my husband, I was like, if I could have the ability to have my cat live forever with me, as in, live until the exact day I die, she stays healthy how she is right now, she’s good, she’s whatever, I would give up the ability to have children if I could have that, if I could have her my whole life.
Image credits: @megkoli
Image credits: @megkoli
That was not the right thing to say. Nobody agrees. Nobody loves their pet enough, apparently. I was like, this is common sense.
I get my child forever. I get my Nala girl. No, it wasn’t it. It caused a big argument for every single person I asked, and my husband. I don’t take it back.
Image credits: @megkoli
Raising children can be very expensive compared to having pets. It’s an important aspect for some people
Image credits: Elias Jara (not the actual photo)
One consideration people have for delaying or outright saying ‘no’ to parenthood is economics. Purely from a financial standpoint, raising a child is far more expensive than being a pet parent.
According to ‘Rover,’ the cost of having a cat in the United States can range between $710 and $2,865 per year or $60 to $240 per month.
However, it’s more expensive in 2024 than the year before due to rising pet food prices (soaring up to double).
Meanwhile, how much you spend on your beloved catto is also going to depend on your lifestyle, financial means, and budget goals. For instance, if you opt for premium food, toys, and products, you’ll end up shelling out far more than someone who is more DIY-savvy.
This is nowhere close to raising a child. Investopedia shares that a middle-income family with two children born in 2015 will spend around $310,605 per kid, to raise them until they’re 17 years old in 2032.
Like with pets, a lot will depend on your particular lifestyle, where you live, what your diet is like, and how much you’re willing to spend on childcare.
Housing is the biggest expense, costing around a third of a family’s budget. Food on the other hand costs around a quarter of the entire budget. Of course, this can vary quite a bit depending on how frugal you are and what your family’s specific diet is like.
But there’s an additional issue to consider. As a parent, you should be prepared to shell out an additional $24,030 per year per child to cover college tuition, fees, as well as room and board.
The topic got some fiery responses in the content creator’s social circle, as well as online
Image credits: Vlada Karpovich (not the actual photo)
The 29-year-old TikToker’s video reached a ton of people after it got posted. Not just on the video-sharing platform but also in the news. At the time of writing, it has 125k views.
It’s no wonder that the clip went viral. It’s such a sensitive topic that it really got people from both sides of the fence talking, whether they’re huge supporters of pet parenting or families with human children.
Megan told ‘People’ magazine that her clip was originally meant to be partly a joke, but it started a meaningful discussion nonetheless.
“Since I love my cats so much and I think about them so much, I was thinking, ‘What would be worth it to give up to have them live forever?’ All my friends are having kids, so that was the first thing that came to my head. I said it flippantly to my husband and he looked at me horrified,” the TikToker told ‘People.’
She added that both she and her husband want to have children. Her spouse’s response to her comment was: “I can’t believe you’re saying you’d give up the ability for us to have a family.” This surprised Megan who then posed the same idea to her friends and got similar reactions. Then, she turned to TikTok with the same question, where she found more support.
According to the TikToker, watching her video go viral was shocking. “I started getting notifications and I was like, ‘Oh no, the mom bloggers have found me. This is going to be a problem.’ But it was actually so many people saying, ‘I love this idea, where do I sign on the dotted line?’ or ‘I would give up my ability to have kids in exchange for a Pringle.’”
She explained to ‘People’ that this response was refreshing. Megan explained that society can sometimes label women without kids as people who ‘hate’ children. However, the reality is that a lot of folks might not be able to have children or have personal reasons why they don’t want them.
“You can find love in other places, especially in pets. It’s just a different kind of love,” she said.
What do you think, Pandas? Would you give up having kids if your pets could live forever? Which side of the discussion do you personally fall on? Let us know what you think in the comments.
The reactions the TikToker’s clip got were mixed. Here’s what some viewers thought
Here’s what some other internet users had to say as the video continued to go viral
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What do you think ?
Zedrapazia 1 year ago
Kind of a no point article tbh. Not much meaning there. Also, why'd that spark an argument? I never wanted kids, I'd easily exchange the immortality of my cat for that. I'd even get two things at once, I don't need to get sterilisation anymore. But whatever floats your boat I guess.
BeesEelsAndPups 1 year ago
My cat is immortal, and I have children. 5 years ago, when he was 18, I thought he was on his way out. He dropped half his body weight and the vet couldn't explain it. They just said to prepare for him to go. But he's 23 now, has a great appetite, and still pretty playful. Never put the weight back on, he looks like skin and bones and lost one of his teeth, but otherwise he's doing great. When my kids were little I would tell them stories about how he used to be a dragon, but a witch cursed him to live forever as a cat. I've started to wonder if maybe the stories were true.
Load More Replies...
Multa Nocte 1 year ago
I don't know why it still surprises me after all these years that people go so ballistic about someone else's personal opinions.
Jill Rhodry 1 year ago (edited)
Yeah, but it seem particularly brutal when a woman says something about being child free - parents seem to take it as a personal attack, you know, like they regret doing something.....
Load More Replies...
Nuku Nyara 1 year ago (edited)
I would agree but my cat would have to stay healthy and not degrade into having cat dementia. I've already had 3 cats go through cat dementia and it was sad 😢
Auntriarch 1 year ago
Aww, my colleague had a cat with dementia, she got out two days ago, they just found her this morning 😔
Load More Replies...
Kit Black 1 year ago
I think the problem here isn't that she'd rather have the cat... It's that she tells her husband and the world that she does want children... No, we don't believe you. It's totally okay to not want children. It's not ok to claim you want children and then tell the person with whom you plan to have children that you'd rather have the cat. Stop lying to your husband stop lying to yourself and admit you don't want kids. It'll save everyone a lot of pain.
Kari Panda 1 year ago (edited)
This is such a stupid thing to ask. There are people who don’t want kids, period. They‘d readily give up their ability to have children, and would be delighted about any bonus that entails. Then there are people who want kids, who obviously would not give up that ability, or at least not easily. But comparing loving your pet vs. loving your child, as if they are mutually exclusive, of course starts a debate. Heck, I wish I could have my dog that died 20 years ago back, I miss her. I still love my child to pieces.
Tabitha 1 year ago (edited)
You know, you can have more than one—-shall we say creature?—-in the center of your universe. There should be room for family, children, friends, AND pets to occupy it with equal importance. No need to count any as more important, or less. They’re ALL the lives that matter to you. They can matter equally. Given a choice between saving my husband and saving my cat, you better damned well know I’m going to try to save BOTH.
CanadianDimes 1 year ago
I don’t even have a pet and I’d trade my ability to have kids for my pet’s long life. If you don’t want kids, it’s not shocking to say you’d trade away your ability to have them.
Kit Black 1 year ago
I think that's why everyone's calling her out. She's claiming she does want kids. Except she would trade them for a cat... I think her husband has every right to point out that this is not the thought process of someone who wants children...
Load More Replies...
Zedrapazia 1 year ago
Kind of a no point article tbh. Not much meaning there. Also, why'd that spark an argument? I never wanted kids, I'd easily exchange the immortality of my cat for that. I'd even get two things at once, I don't need to get sterilisation anymore. But whatever floats your boat I guess.
BeesEelsAndPups 1 year ago
My cat is immortal, and I have children. 5 years ago, when he was 18, I thought he was on his way out. He dropped half his body weight and the vet couldn't explain it. They just said to prepare for him to go. But he's 23 now, has a great appetite, and still pretty playful. Never put the weight back on, he looks like skin and bones and lost one of his teeth, but otherwise he's doing great. When my kids were little I would tell them stories about how he used to be a dragon, but a witch cursed him to live forever as a cat. I've started to wonder if maybe the stories were true.
Load More Replies... Multa Nocte 1 year ago
I don't know why it still surprises me after all these years that people go so ballistic about someone else's personal opinions.
Jill Rhodry 1 year ago (edited)
Yeah, but it seem particularly brutal when a woman says something about being child free - parents seem to take it as a personal attack, you know, like they regret doing something.....
Load More Replies... Nuku Nyara 1 year ago (edited)
I would agree but my cat would have to stay healthy and not degrade into having cat dementia. I've already had 3 cats go through cat dementia and it was sad 😢
Auntriarch 1 year ago
Aww, my colleague had a cat with dementia, she got out two days ago, they just found her this morning 😔
Load More Replies... Kit Black 1 year ago
I think the problem here isn't that she'd rather have the cat... It's that she tells her husband and the world that she does want children... No, we don't believe you. It's totally okay to not want children. It's not ok to claim you want children and then tell the person with whom you plan to have children that you'd rather have the cat. Stop lying to your husband stop lying to yourself and admit you don't want kids. It'll save everyone a lot of pain.
Kari Panda 1 year ago (edited)
This is such a stupid thing to ask. There are people who don’t want kids, period. They‘d readily give up their ability to have children, and would be delighted about any bonus that entails. Then there are people who want kids, who obviously would not give up that ability, or at least not easily. But comparing loving your pet vs. loving your child, as if they are mutually exclusive, of course starts a debate. Heck, I wish I could have my dog that died 20 years ago back, I miss her. I still love my child to pieces.
Tabitha 1 year ago (edited)
You know, you can have more than one—-shall we say creature?—-in the center of your universe. There should be room for family, children, friends, AND pets to occupy it with equal importance. No need to count any as more important, or less. They’re ALL the lives that matter to you. They can matter equally. Given a choice between saving my husband and saving my cat, you better damned well know I’m going to try to save BOTH.
CanadianDimes 1 year ago
I don’t even have a pet and I’d trade my ability to have kids for my pet’s long life. If you don’t want kids, it’s not shocking to say you’d trade away your ability to have them.
Kit Black 1 year ago
I think that's why everyone's calling her out. She's claiming she does want kids. Except she would trade them for a cat... I think her husband has every right to point out that this is not the thought process of someone who wants children...
Load More Replies...
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