Young Couples Need Mature Readiness Before Having Children

The saying ‘many children, many blessings’ appears to be losing its bite in the modern era. Where children were once often viewed as family assets that could help improve parents’ economic situation, the view has shifted to a moral and financial responsibility that is substantial. Decisions to have children are no longer impulsive but are made after careful calculations about the quality of life parents can provide. Fitri Jayanthi, M.Psi., psychologist and founder of Cup of Stories, says rising living costs are one of the main factors driving this shift. ‘The main driver is the increasingly high cost of living. Therefore, having children tends to increase expenses,’ she said when contacted on Monday, 2 March 2026.

Additionally, the abundance of information on parenting has led today’s parents to prioritise quality over quantity. Having children is now seen as a commitment that must be carefully managed. ‘People are compelled to focus on the quality of parenting because having children is a commitment that must be safeguarded,’ Fitri explained.

Many individuals feel burdened when in the past they were considered ‘assets’ to improve the family condition. ‘In the previous era, children were seen as blessings that could help parents or improve the family’s situation,’ she said on Monday.

Adelia added that the current generation are the children of those past who experienced how hard it was to be their parents’ ‘assets.’ Consequently, they have a strong desire to break that mindset to provide a better life for their own children in the future.

An awareness of becoming better parents than the previous generation has led many couples to stabilise themselves before starting a family. They view the moral responsibility to provide a mentally healthy environment for children as equally important as financial readiness. Modern parents no longer expect repayment from their children, but focus on what they can give as protectors and caregivers. ‘Because those children from the past have now become parents themselves, they tend to want to break those unideal patterns of thought,’ Adelia said.