It's amazing to note your prevailing economic language throughout this piece. Stay-at-home mom's earning potential drops like a stone. Marriages mean moving states based on his career. Caregivers are not paid enough. Throughout, you are equating human value with economic value. This is the tragedy of this discussion. Get married because you love a partner who will complement your life. Have children for the love of bringing a life into the world. Rich or poor, this does not change. When marriage and kids boil down to economic opportunities then I agree with this piece. Please, please, please never marry or have kids. We have too many humans like that already.