What makes somebody "ready" to have children?

Question

So I was scrolling down Glow today, and saw a post about a 16 year old girl TTC. She said she was ready for a baby, and was "financially stable." - her boyfriend is 18. 
Obviously I don't agree with kids TTC, but it got me thinking, what makes someone ready to have children? 
Is it age? A good job? Having your own home? Being married? Or being mentally able to care for a child? Being in a stable relationship? Etc. 
What do you think the most important thing is when it comes to parenting, that all parents should have before TTC? If that makes sense.
*Also this may not be controversial enough. I'm kind of new to CC. 😂 If not let me know and I'll move it to another room.*

Accepted Answer

IMO, financial stability, not just oh yes I get 1k a month therefore it’s fine, no. They need to be able to afford their current lifestyle, the cost of maternity leave (I.e sometimes there’s a reduced pay rate), the cost of baby stuff and everything a child could need (NEED NOT WANT). They need a house, I don’t agree with people TTC in their parents house. Having a car isn’t essential however if anything was ever wrong with the child then I would want to have a car. They need to be emotionally ready, that’s the biggest factor. Some people aren’t at all and whilst they could mature after the child their emotional stability depends on them being ready for it. Asides from that I can’t think of anything else. I personally won’t be having kids until all of these things are ticked off.

Answer

I am somewhat of a traditionalist when it comes to TTC. (This is about TRYING to have a baby; this isn’t about people who accidentally get pregnant). 
I believe in forming the strong foundations of a family first and then adding children.  To do that, I think the couple should really know each other— lived together for at least a year, and I think they should be married.  (I don’t really understand the concept of TTC with a boyfriend, who you don’t feel you are ready to marry— it boggles my mind.) To me, children should be the next addition to what you hope will be a permanent and lifelong family, and marriage offers legal protections and security to foster that.  
I think the couple should have a good amount of life experience and does not need to sacrifice those experiences by having children too early.  You will be guiding and shaping your child; you should be as well-rounded as you can be.  
Financially, I think you should have established careers in fields where you have either finished your education or gotten far along the path.  I think being able to comfortably pay your bills every month while saving at least 15% should be the bare minimum to Try.  
Emotionally, your relationship with your partner should be stable and loving, and your communications skills should be well-developed and tested .  Like I said, it is the bedrock for your entire family.  It should have time to develop on its own, so you know you have the strong foundation for a family.

Answer

I’d say a person is not ready to take care of children if they can’t take care of themselves.

Answer

Well there's a difference between financial stability and financial security 🤷🏾 The latter being more important. There's a lot of things that will make someone ready to be a parent, being 16 is not one of them. That's not to say they can't make it work, but no one is ready at 16.

Answer

Since we cant edit comments and my brain skipped a beat:
TTC under 18 isnt okay. At least be out of high school before you try for kids. Speaking as someone who had a 15 year old mother, its not an ideal situation regardless of having all the ducks in a row.
If you are an adult and generally doing well, its okay to TTC. If you wait until you are 100% ready, you’ll never have kids.

Answer

I honestly doubt that 16 year old is financially ready, unless her boyfriend has a good job with good money... which again i doubt. Generally i think it’s better to TTC when you really are financially stable, with jobs, house ect. I however think that if teens do end up pregnant, they should receive support and the facts of what it’s like to be a mother. The hard hitting and true facts.

Answer

Well my dad always says there is never a right time to have a baby. You’re never ready but hell I was ready. In our group of friends we are the only couple that did it the traditional way. Got married, bought a house and had a baby. Took us so god damn long to have a baby we actually paid off our house in that time 🤦🏻‍♀️. But I had a very long convo with my gf who had a baby with her bf well renting and man they are stressed!!! So I’d say ya. It’s not an age but I’d say after 25. Because before 25 I was way too consumed in myself. But I also think being stable financially is a huge part and many people aren’t there until there mid to late 20’s. But truthfully. I’m 30 and wish I had 3 kids already.

Answer

I think the most important thing is your mindset tbh.  If you end up pregnant at 16 andyou have the right mindset, if your not mature enough or in the right plave finacially you get there and if you can get where you need to be on your own you use the resources around you to do it. Nobody on the planet can sit down and say I am 100% ready to have a kid. But if you have the right mindset you can be 100% of the parent you need to be regardless of your circumstances.  Also a lot of people are saying you need a house and a car and savings to have kids. Those things make life easier but they dont make child healthy happy and successful a loving devoted parent with the right mindset does. A married midclass 30 year old with the wrong mindset can be a much worse parent and have less happy children then a poor single 16  year old with right mindset.

Answer

It’s not just a financial thing. How are things at home? Do you feel safe? Do you feel secure? Are you feeling stressed? Are you planning on doing anything big in the next few months? Will you need help or support, and if you do will you have it easily accessible? It’s a lot more than money to be ready for a baby. But at 15/16, I don’t think that’s age appropriate to be trying for a baby. At the age someone is still a child themselves. I would at least recommend being out of high school and at least 18 before trying to plan a baby. 
No one is ever 100% ready for a little baby. You learn a lot of the things as you go. But there are some situations and times in life that make it more ideal to start trying for a baby.

Answer

Financial stability, meaning if you had to go on bedrest, or have an extendes maternity leave, you would not lose your house.  Being able to afford to care for your child with NO government assistance.  Having your own home and transportation.  Having an education, and a means to care for yourself and child should you end up on your own.  Mental stability.  A secure relationship, which to me, means marriage.

What makes somebody "ready" to have children?

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