[openeyes]

From looking at the post on your blog it seems like most of your concerns are financially oriented (cost of gas, food, health care and so on). Would you feel okay having kids in the US if money were not an issue?

Right now I'm dipping my toes into the health field to see if it's something I could enjoy, as it would provide me with the ability to easily get a job anywhere in the US, insurance would be covered, and working part time (max 30 hours per week) would readily cover everything. If I want to start my own business in addition to that, that'd be fine. I've always tried to set up my life in such a way that finances would never be of great concern, as so many relationship/life issues seem to stem from that for most people.

As for gas and food, both are still cheaper here than in any other first world nation. If I didn't end up working in healthcare I'd go for high deductible catastrophic insurance that covers 100% of expenses after the health savings account is depleted.

America is a large and diverse country. There are certainly areas I wouldn't want to raise children in, but I also wouldn't want to live there myself. The areas I spend most of my time are so amiable that I'd happily raise a child in them. At the local organic grocery co-op I see little kids running around happily all the time.

Where I went to college (just graduated last month) the violent crime rate is nil and a car is optional as most everything is in walking or bicycling distance (free buses are also abundant, along with zipcar). The public schools are excellent, but there are also interesting and affordable private options, plus the chance to homeschool. I'll likely be moving back there in a few months, after taking a brief health course and helping out my dad for a while. When initially picking which college to go to I did so with the view that I'd likely end up living in the area long term after graduation.

Whether I have kids or not will largely be determined by whether or not I decide I (and whomever I'm with) want raising a family to be a major portion of my (our) life. The conditions for doing so are fine, and in many ways we're in a better position for doing so than our parents were 30 years ago. I've been well aware of many of the things people get stressed out over regarding having kids, and rather than it evoking paralyzing fear, it just inspires me to research more and be better prepared, along with learning to be comfortable with whatever inevitably happens.

I'd prefer to have child rearing be at least 2-3 years off as my foundation will be more settled then, but even 9 months from now I feel things could proceed well enough to be proud. Parenting is not something I'd just jump into, it's something I've thought about and planned for since my early teens, particularly making a point of looking into attachment parenting and making sure whoever I end up with has parenting interests compatible with my own (otherwise I'd just assume remain child-free, and have been careful enough to not have to worry about "accidents").