While babies can be amazing little blessings, families are sometimes met with a range of emotions upon finding out that they’re expecting a new member soon. There may be stress about finances, the strain having kids will put on their relationship, worries about one or both parents not being able to work and even concerns about how the baby’s siblings will react to the news.
Unfortunately, when one couple announced that their eighth bundle of joy was on the way, their oldest child was anything but supportive. Below, you’ll find the full story that the teen recently posted on the “Am I the [Jerk]?” subreddit, as well as some of the replies readers left him.
This teen’s parents were thrilled to announce that they had another baby on the way
Image credits: YuriArcursPeopleimages / Envato (not the actual photo)
But his reaction was much less excited than they were expecting
Image credits: Jonathan Borba / Pexels (not the actual photo)
Image credits: DependentLeave3584
It's important that children get ample attention and affection from their parents
Having siblings can be a huge blessing. You have built-in friends when you’re growing up, and there’s always someone around to play games with. Sure, they might tease you or get on your nerves from time to time, but they’re family! At the end of the day, you would do anything for them.
But there’s a big difference between having two siblings and seven brothers and sisters. And it’s a lot harder to get Mom and Dad’s attention when they’re focused on herding eight kids at once.
Kids need unconditional love and lots of affection, and according to Family Education, it’s crucial that they get enough from a young age. One study found that kids who didn’t receive enough attention in their youth were more likely to struggle in school and in their personal relationships, as well as more likely to find themselves in trouble with the law.
And parents can’t let go of the reins when their kids become teens either. Teens who don’t get enough attention from Mom and Dad may feel neglected or unsupported, Family Education notes. This can also cause mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety, and lead teens to participate in high-risk behaviors like experimenting with drugs and alcohol.
Having many kids can put a huge financial strain on parents
Image credits: Karolina Kaboompics / Pexels (not the actual photo)
But it’s not only kids who can experience negative effects of having too many siblings in one house. One study even found that having too many children can take a toll on their parents’ mental health too.
“What we found is that in the majority of countries we analyzed, more children are associated with poorer health outcomes later in life – especially for chronic conditions and depression,” Dr. Nekehia Quashie, assistant professor of health studies at the University of Rhode Island and one of the paper’s authors, shared.
In half of all of the countries studied, the researchers also found an increased risk of depression in the participants with the most kids. While most parents absolutely love their children and can’t imagine a world without them, the reality is that they can put certain strains on mothers' and fathers' lives too.
One of the biggest challenges that comes from having children is simply being able to afford them. Investopedia reports that middle-class families with two kids in the United States will spend about $310,605 on raising each one by the time they turn 17. Imagine spending that much on eight children!
The largest costs associated with having kids are housing, food, childcare and planning for college, Investopedia notes. And while it’s certainly possible to cut back on groceries by clipping coupons or inform your kids that they won’t have a college fund waiting for them, it’s not easy for parents to accept that they can’t give their kids everything they’ve ever wanted.
Growing up with a lot of siblings can take a toll on a child's mental health
Image credits: Rudy Hartono / Pexels (not the actual photo)
Sadly, the teen in this story knows better than anyone that parents can’t be everywhere and do everything at once. And if you have to outsource babysitting and working for wages to your oldest children, you may have had too many little ones.
In fact, a 2024 study published in the Journal of Family Issues found that children with fewer siblings, or no siblings at all, tend to have better mental health than kids who grew up with brothers and sisters around the same age.
“If you think of parental resources like a pie, one child means that they get all the pie – all the attention and resources of the parents,” Douglas Downey, professor of sociology at Ohio State University and lead researcher on the study, explained in a press release. “But when you add more siblings, each child gets fewer resources and attention from the parents, and that may have an impact on their mental health.”
We would love to hear your thoughts on this story in the comments below, pandas. Do you think this teen’s reaction to his parents’ news was justified? Feel free to share, and then if you’re interested in checking out another Bored Panda piece discussing similar family issues, look no further than right here!
Many readers sympathized with the teen and provided him with advice, and he joined in on the conversation
However, a small minority of readers thought that the teen needed a reality check
