What are the pros and cons of having a second child?

With the relaxation of the family planning policy, many families with only one child have begun planning to have a second child. However, for families with relatively affluent economic conditions, having a second child may not be stressful. However, for families with average economic conditions, if they want a second child, they need to consider many issues. Having a second child has its pros and cons. The following is a detailed introduction to the pros and cons of having a second child.

1. Give your only child a companion so that their childhood is no longer lonely

It is not enough for children to have only their parents' company. Having a second child means that children will have a companion in their childhood and will have a stronger tendency to share. The closer the relationship between first-born children and their peers, the stronger their willingness to share and care for young children, and the lower their level of loneliness.

2. Let children develop mentally

The growth environment of only children can easily make them develop problems such as being self-centered, unable to communicate and share with others, poor hands-on ability, lack of responsibility, and strong dependence. If you have a second child, the first child will develop a certain sense of responsibility and need to protect his or her younger siblings and be a role model for them. Growing up two children together is beneficial to the healthy mental development of the first child.

3. Prevent parenting risks and reduce the burden of supporting children

Nowadays, after many only children get married, they have to shoulder the responsibility of supporting four elderly people. Although many parents no longer need their children to support them after retirement, there are still many unpredictable problems such as illness, which bring great pressure to their children. If there are brothers and sisters in the family, the pressure will not be so great, and when encountering family problems, they can rely on each other.

Although having a second child will bring various pressures to the family, a child can inject fresh vitality into a boring and dull family, giving the couple more motivation to work hard. The warm life of a family of four is very enviable. The second child brings double happiness to the family, and the second child is a lubricant for resolving conflicts between couples.

What are the disadvantages of having a second child?

1. High cost of raising children, increasing the economic burden

At present, the education expenditure of Chinese families is allocated based on one child per family. Having another child would be a huge burden indeed. The main reason why people are unwilling to have children is the high cost of raising them. The cost of raising two children is 1.5 times that of raising one child. According to the family's consumption, raising a child in poor conditions would cost at least 680,000 yuan, and raising a child in rich conditions would cost several million yuan.

2. Increase the burden on time and energy

Today’s people born in the 70s and 90s bear more work pressure, and the pace of life for two children will inevitably be faster and more difficult. On the one hand, the elderly are old and in poor health and need care. On the other hand, children are in the transition stage from kindergarten to primary school and also need parents to spend more time and energy to accompany them.

Today's only children are more psychologically fragile and sensitive, and the first child may not be able to fully accept it emotionally and behaviorally. When faced with a newborn baby who is smaller than oneself and receives more attention from the parents, the frustration of feeling threatened, deprived, and robbed will be more obvious. Not knowing how to balance the love for the two children may lead to parent-child conflicts.

4. Children’s education is not guaranteed

After the full implementation of the two-child policy, when a large number of children reached school age, the kindergarten or primary school places that were originally sufficient gradually became saturated. To cope with the impact of this policy, many district and county education departments have made adjustments to their household registration policies for admissions. This series of measures will make it more difficult for children to enter kindergartens and schools.

5. Impact on career development

Being unable to stay at home full-time due to life pressure will inevitably distract your work attention. Emotionally, it means that fathers have to spend more time with their children, and some mothers may even have to become full-time mothers. This is not conducive to women's career development and improvement of their social status, and may lead to conflicts within the family.