Whether or not to have children is a very personal decision. Some folks decide to dedicate their lives to their beloved pets. Many people have very strong opinions on what everyone should do either way, and this can lead to a bit of tension whenever the question comes up.

TikToker content creator Megan Kolioupoulos, aka @megkoli, went viral after sparking a fiery discussion online. She shared how she’d told her husband that she would give up having kids if her cat were to live forever. The clip ended up polarizing the internet. Scroll down for the full story.

One TikToker started an intense discussion on the internet about being a pet parent versus raising kids

Image credits: @megkoli

Yeah, so apparently I said an insane thing, and I’m getting flamed by literally every single person I ask, except for people who don’t actually want kids already.

But I said this the other day to my husband, I was like, if I could have the ability to have my cat live forever with me, as in, live until the exact day I die, she stays healthy how she is right now, she’s good, she’s whatever, I would give up the ability to have children if I could have that, if I could have her my whole life.

Image credits: @megkoli

Image credits: @megkoli

 That was not the right thing to say. Nobody agrees. Nobody loves their pet enough, apparently. I was like, this is common sense.

I get my child forever. I get my Nala girl. No, it wasn’t it. It caused a big argument for every single person I asked, and my husband. I don’t take it back. 

Image credits: @megkoli

Raising children can be very expensive compared to having pets. It’s an important aspect for some people

Image credits: Elias Jara (not the actual photo)

One consideration people have for delaying or outright saying ‘no’ to parenthood is economics. Purely from a financial standpoint, raising a child is far more expensive than being a pet parent.

According to ‘Rover,’ the cost of having a cat in the United States can range between $710 and $2,865 per year or $60 to $240 per month.

However, it’s more expensive in 2024 than the year before due to rising pet food prices (soaring up to double).

Meanwhile, how much you spend on your beloved catto is also going to depend on your lifestyle, financial means, and budget goals. For instance, if you opt for premium food, toys, and products, you’ll end up shelling out far more than someone who is more DIY-savvy.

This is nowhere close to raising a child. Investopedia shares that a middle-income family with two children born in 2015 will spend around $310,605 per kid, to raise them until they’re 17 years old in 2032.

Like with pets, a lot will depend on your particular lifestyle, where you live, what your diet is like, and how much you’re willing to spend on childcare.

Housing is the biggest expense, costing around a third of a family’s budget. Food on the other hand costs around a quarter of the entire budget. Of course, this can vary quite a bit depending on how frugal you are and what your family’s specific diet is like.

But there’s an additional issue to consider. As a parent, you should be prepared to shell out an additional $24,030 per year per child to cover college tuition, fees, as well as room and board.

The topic got some fiery responses in the content creator’s social circle, as well as online

Image credits: Vlada Karpovich (not the actual photo)

The 29-year-old TikToker’s video reached a ton of people after it got posted. Not just on the video-sharing platform but also in the news. At the time of writing, it has 125k views.

It’s no wonder that the clip went viral. It’s such a sensitive topic that it really got people from both sides of the fence talking, whether they’re huge supporters of pet parenting or families with human children.

Megan told ‘People’ magazine that her clip was originally meant to be partly a joke, but it started a meaningful discussion nonetheless.

“Since I love my cats so much and I think about them so much, I was thinking, ‘What would be worth it to give up to have them live forever?’ All my friends are having kids, so that was the first thing that came to my head. I said it flippantly to my husband and he looked at me horrified,” the TikToker told ‘People.’

She added that both she and her husband want to have children. Her spouse’s response to her comment was: “I can’t believe you’re saying you’d give up the ability for us to have a family.” This surprised Megan who then posed the same idea to her friends and got similar reactions. Then, she turned to TikTok with the same question, where she found more support.

According to the TikToker, watching her video go viral was shocking. “I started getting notifications and I was like, ‘Oh no, the mom bloggers have found me. This is going to be a problem.’ But it was actually so many people saying, ‘I love this idea, where do I sign on the dotted line?’ or ‘I would give up my ability to have kids in exchange for a Pringle.’”

She explained to ‘People’ that this response was refreshing. Megan explained that society can sometimes label women without kids as people who ‘hate’ children. However, the reality is that a lot of folks might not be able to have children or have personal reasons why they don’t want them.

“You can find love in other places, especially in pets. It’s just a different kind of love,” she said.

What do you think, Pandas? Would you give up having kids if your pets could live forever? Which side of the discussion do you personally fall on? Let us know what you think in the comments.

The reactions the TikToker’s clip got were mixed. Here’s what some viewers thought

Here’s what some other internet users had to say as the video continued to go viral

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