I Am the Oldest of 7 Kids in Our Family, and Latest Parents News Devastated Me

A 16-year-old boy shared a deeply emotional story on a popular Reddit forum about the heavy responsibility he bears in his big family. His post sparked a major conversation about family planning, financial challenges, and how these issues affect children. Let’s take a closer look at his story and how the community responded.

The original post.

People in comments were giving very different advices.

• This is a no-win situation. You do not have to ever baby-sit your siblings. That is not your responsibility. But then, if you didn't watch the kids, there would be less money to feed the kids. Essentially, there are 3 parents in this household and two of them are acting very irresponsible, which is increasing the workload of parent number 3.
  Study hard, get a high score so you can get good training for a skilled job. Then enlist for four or six years (whatever the minimum is) get out and go into government contracting. There's good money there, and it's fairly safe, in terms of job security. © OkHovercraft4450 / Reddit
• Your parents are totally irresponsible. Don't they have a clue what sterilization options there are? They could have made that responsible choice at any point along the line from the 2nd child to the 7th. See if you can get yourself out with the Job Corp and then look into emancipation. © AgateCatCreations076 / Reddit

• Call CPS (Child Protective Services) and explain the situation. No 16 year old should be responsible for putting food on the table or paying the bills unless they are emancipated and living on their own. © bluerose1197 / Reddit
• I had a similar reaction when my parents announced they were having #5. I was the oldest at nearly 15 at that time and our house had been torn up in a massive renovation. My advice: keep working and try to save some of that money; look into local food banks, diaper banks, and other services; move out as soon after high school as you are able to do it; know where your critical documents are and try to keep them yourself. You really should not move out without them. © C_Majuscula / Reddit

Being a parent can be tough, but it’s even harder when kids suffer because of a parent’s irresponsibility. In reality before becoming a parent, it’s important to understand how big the responsibility is. Raising a child means giving them love, care, and guidance every day. Thinking it through helps ensure kids grow up in a safe and supportive home.