Can You Afford a Child in India? 3 Costs You Need to Plan For
12 clips from a 20:21 video · top score 96
Get clips like these, freeWhy it works
Deeply vulnerable personal storytelling about financial rock bottom and parental guilt. The contrast between the child crying out of joy and the parents crying out of shame is a massive emotional gut-punch that drives high watch time and shares.
Transcript
hone wala tha. usi saal may ke mahine mein vidur ka chatha birthday tha. vah ek aisa baccha jo jyada kabhi kuch mangta nahi tha. lekin us saal pata nahi kyon usne cycle ki jid kari. hamare bank mein us samay cycle kharidne ke bhi paise nahi the. ruchi ke paas main gaya. mainne bola ruchi ne cycle mangi hai. hamare paas cycle dene ki bhi kshamta nahi hai. kya karen? ruchi ne bola aisa karte hain ki mere sone ke kangan jo hai wo bech dete hain. uski cycle bhi aa jaegi. do-teen mahine ke khane peene ka kharcha bhi nikal aega. and humne wahi kiya. humne ruchi ke gold ke bangles beche aur ek din jab main do school gaya hua tha peeche se uski ek cycle kharidi. phir wo jab wo school se wapas lautane usko surprise kiya ki uski cycle uske paas aa gai hai. wo ro pada. hum ro pade. wo ro raha tha kyonki use yakeen nahi aaya ki uska surprise actually pura hua aur hum isliye ro rahe the kyonki hum sharminda the ki hum apne maa-baap ka apna farj bhi nahi nibha pa rahe hain. use ek secure financial environment dene ka. july
Why it works
The ultimate thesis of the video delivered with immense clarity: contrasting Instagram show-off parenting with real, grounded parenting. Highly inspirational and shareable.
Transcript
Go back to the question. If the question is can I afford raising a child in a three bedroom apartment in a luxury car showing off to my friends on Instagram how cool a parent I am giving my child all the luxuries that they would have had if they were in the US sending them to a complete international school making sure ki ye sari cheezein hum kar paen chahe hamari wo haasiyat aukaat hai ya nahi then the answer most likely is no kyonki aap baccha baccha paida karne ke liye nahi duniya ko dikhane ke liye paida kar rahe hain ki dekhiye ki hum kitna zindagi mein succeed kar chuke hain ki hum is bacche ki aisi parvarish kar rahe hain. lekin agar sawal hai ki hum kya apne bacche ko ek safe loving learning environment de sakte hain? jahan unkon values mile. wo discipline ho. wo zindagi kaise jee jaati hai? kaise important decision liye jaate hain? haarte kaise hain? haar se badhte kaise hain? aage kaise aage jaate hain? then the answer is yes ek baccha frankly kuch mangta nahi hai. sirf pyar hee thoda khana. And it's the best gift that you can give yourself. It is the most amazing experience. To have a child if you feel no pressure of showing to the world. How awesome a parent you are. kahani pe wapas
Why it works
Brutally calls out urban Indian parents for spending lakhs on preschools and IB schools just to massage their own ego and maintain social status.
Transcript
the mother doosra hidden cost the upgrade price jaise ek baccha aata hai hum apni zindagi upgrade kar lete hain ab humen ek bada ghar chahiye ek badi gadi chahiye ab house help chahiye. The neighbourhood is now going to be upgraded. The school now needs to come into consideration. ghar se shuru karte hain to aapka ek additional room jodne ka jo extra rent hai wo in a metro is anywhere between 12 se ₹15,000. pehle 4 saal ya teen saal wo baccha us room ko dekhega bhi nahi. kyonki wo to aapke saath so raha hoga. lekin aapke zahan mein aapko ek upgrade karna jaruri hai. school ki alag hee kahani chal rahi hai. pre nursery itna mehnga ho chuka hai jitna to PG aur UG bhi nahi hota hai. to aap ₹1 ₹100 2000 ₹500 mahina de rahe hain for pre school jahan wo baccha A B C D one two three four seekh raha hai aur kuch nursery rhymes. You are only doing it to massage your ego. There is no difference being made in that child's life. phir aapko us bacche ko IB school bhejna hai kyonki aapke sare dost apne bacchon ko IB school bhejte hain. bacche ne IB nahi manga hai. aap unke liye IB select kar rahe hain. kyonki aapko aisa lagta hai ki ek normal school aapki haasiyat ke below hai. to aap us pe 5 lakh, ₹1 lakh saal ke kharch karne ke liye taiyar hain. because aapko apni society mein wo standard wo status maintain karke rakhna hai. All of the choices are driven by you. Never never ever chosen by the child. The cost is borne by you but the child is the reason for why you think you are to do and then the third price which
Why it works
Anything about IIT and foreign universities triggers massive engagement in India. Calling US universities the 'easy path' for rich kids who can't handle JEE rigor is a spicy, debate-sparking take.
Transcript
han How many of my IITian friends have had their kids go to IIT? So far in my entire circle I have found only four examples there were at least 70 to 75 IITians that I know ISB ke mere work place ke dost wagairah char baaki ke bacche abhi tak taiyar nahi hue hain lekin agar main ungon jaanta hoon mujhe nahi lagta ki unka IIT mein ho jaega kyonki the exam is really tough and that's a very interesting phenomenon right ki maa-baap itne samajhdar the ki wo IIT chale gaye lekin bacche unfortunately and for some strange reason IIT crack nahi kar paenge. iska ye wajah nahi hai ki wo IIT jaana nahi chahte. It's still a very desirable place to be. haasiyat hee nahi hai. They have got used to such a different way of rigor that they can't commit to the rigor required for an IIT JEE to be cleared. to wo ja rahe hain foreign universities wo ja rahe hain US universities that's the quote and quote easy path I am not saying it's a bad path but it's on paper an easy path wahan lagte hain karodon rupaye and there is a certain prestige attached to it ki hamara baccha ji IIT nahi hai hamara baccha Stanford gaya hua hai ya New York University gaya hua hai ya NCERT gaya hua hai ya Columbia gaya hua hai ya Oxford gaya hua hai ya NUS gaya hua hai ya Melbourne University gaya hua hai wagairah wagairah wagairah and uske liye lagte hain paise so
Why it works
Quantifying a mother's 3-year career break as a ₹1 Crore retirement wipeout and calling out Indian paternity leave as a joke is guaranteed to be shared widely by women and couples.
Transcript
member. Let's consider the percentage now in numbers. to farj karte hain ki the women of the household is earning ₹1 lakh a month. agar wo teen saal tak kaam nahi karti because for 3 years she given birth she raising the child that is 36 lakhs of income by doubt but it's not just ₹36 lakhs kyonki aisa ho sakta hai ki us 1 lakh mein se let's say wo ₹25,000 har mahine invest karti thi. to 3 saal mein unhone jo invest kiya wah agar hum 20 saal tak 12% return bhi maan ke chale ₹1 karod ban jaate hain. ₹1 karod matlab having that child is potentially 1 karod of retirement wipe out. ab ideally ye jo price hai yah maa-baap donon ko bear karna chahiye tha. lekin that's not the ways. maternity leave rightfully so 26 weeks. lekin paternity leave is mostly a joke in this country. private companies mein haan ji jitna lena hai le lo do-teen din baad are congratulations ankur ji beta beti hui hai mubarak ho chalo job par wapas aa jao on paper it is like 15 days or something to while on paper it seems are maa-baap donon jimmedar hain is cost ko bear karne ke liye there is only one person who is bearing the price which is the mother doosra hidden cost
Why it works
Heartwarming story with a twist: the parents thought the son would name the cycle they sold gold to buy, but he named his baby sister instead. Pure emotional gold for family and parenting audiences.
Transcript
2018 mein koi to ek school assignment tha. vidur se poocha gaya ki vidur what is the best gift that your parents have given? wo aaya ghar. usne bataya ki ye assignment mujhe mili hai. ruchi aur mainne ek doosre se najrein milai aur humen laga ye us cycle ke bare mein likhega kyonki wo cycle frankly bahut mushkilon ke baad aai thi. vidhur ne bola ki mainne assignment submit kar dee. aur mera jawab tha pushpa she is the best gift you given us. and tab mujhe ehsaas hua ki hum apni poori cheez paise pe tole rahe. hamare liye mushkil tha. humne apne kangan bech diye. hum itni jaddojihad mein the. vidur ko koi fark nahi padta. uske liye uski zindagi mein uzma wo pyar jo wo lai jo hansi lai jo mohabbat hai that is far more precious than anything that he perhaps got from us that's the beauty of kids that's why I say everyone should have because they truly teach you what unconditional love means
Why it works
The 73% stat and the dark side of the 26-week maternity leave law spark strong debate in comments from working women, HR professionals, and parents.
Transcript
nai partner 73% is number se shuru karte hain. what is this number? this is percentage of women who leave their jobs after giving birth. the ones who come back after giving birth which is after their maternity leave. 48% of them leave their jobs with in one year of joining. yeh report thi Ashoka University ki JAPAC Center for Women Leadership 2025. 2017 mein Bharat ne maternity leave ko extend kiya from 12 weeks to 26 weeks which was at that time consider to be a progressive move and I do believe it is a progressive move. companies did not look at it the same way. they were like yaar iska kharcha to humein hi pay karna padega. 26 hafte tak ek employee kaam nahi kar raha hoga lekin uski pay aa rahi hogi to why should we worry about and they stop or reduced hiring women particularly around that age when they were bearing kids and iske chalte there is a big cost that families have to pay which is removal of an earning member. let's consider
Why it works
Hits a huge blind spot for modern couples having kids in their 30s: their retirement at 60 will collide directly with their child's peak college expenses.
Transcript
bacche ho rahe hain paida late. Ruchi and I had our first child when we were both 31 we had our second child Uzma when we were both 37 which means jab Vidur ya Uzma college jaayenge we will be close to 60 years to hum senior citizen ban chuke honge woh dono apna college ya apni zindagi shuru kar rahe honge and the two cost will merge one of our growing needs as a senior citizen and their education or life needs as a growing person and yeh pehle nahi hota tha. pehle to maa-baap 23 24 saal ki umar mein hi paanch-paanch bacche paida karke baith jaate the. I am not saying that this is right or that is wrong. I am just saying that this is the reality. to by the time they were in their 50s or even in their late 40s kids had already graduated started earning. to almost aisa ho gaya tha ki bacche hi maa-baap ka retirement plan ban gaye. but yahan bacchon ko apni zindagi banaani hai aur maa-baap ko apni retirement plan khud sort out karni hai. to in saari
Why it works
Articulates the exact unspoken anxieties of millennials and Gen Z—IVF boom, stress, job insecurity, and lack of childcare—making it highly shareable among young married couples.
Transcript
but there was a very interesting survey done many kids do you have? how many kids do you want? and what are the problems? to 2025 mein jab yeh sawaal poocha gaya to nearly 35% of the respondent said ki hum utne bacche nahi paida kar paa rahe hain jitna hum chaahte hain. and sabse bada kaaran tha financial stability. we don't think we can afford another child. doosra kaaran tha we are unable to produce. kyunki life styles itni stress ho chuki hai. both men and women reproductive systems have come under massive stress. ki organically bacche paida nahi ho paa rahe. isiliye you will see IVF booming in the country. you will see so many cases where couples are childless because despite trying for years. there is something that is going on. housing was a dominant factor. hamare paas jagah nahi hai, ghar nahi hai. job security was a factor ki humein nahi pata ki hamari naukri rahegi ki nahi rahegi. lack of child care was a problem. ki hamare paas support system nahi hai. hamare paas maa-baap nahi hai. hum nanny afford nahi kar sakte. hamare paas koi creche ki facility nahi hai. that's why and was actually less than 20% people who said we don't want kids. 80% said we want them. but we are unable to get to that point in a manner that comfort us. ab yeh survey
Why it works
The payoff about how parents become irrational after birth ('बच्चे के लिए तो कुछ भी कर देंगे') is deeply relatable and makes this a high-save clip for family planning.
Transcript
strain. now three are three gaps. what are gaps? aap teen important decision pe ek upper limit daalenge. number ek aapka ghar. agar aap apna ghar upgrade karenge. what is the maximum you will pay for your rent or for owning the house. you decide that based on what you afford. number two the school. jab aapke bacche school ke liye taiyaar honge, chahe woh pre school ho ya main school ho, aap kitna maximum fees denge, depending on what you can afford. and number three is your help. agar aap ek nanny rakhte hain ya agar aap ghar mein help laate hain, what is the maximum that you can afford with that help? ye teen discussions baccha paida hone se pehle. kyun? kyunki jaise hi baccha paida ho jaata hai na yeh teeno decision jo hai woh emotional ban jaate hain. nahi nahi bacche ke liye to kuch bhi kar denge kuch bhi kar denge kuch bhi kar denge aur phir kuch bhi kar dete hain and you get into a financial distress position. so have that conversation before the child comes. number chaar price
Why it works
Opens immediately with a counter-intuitive statistic (1.5 fertility rate in urban India) that challenges the common belief that India is overpopulating, followed by a relatable breakdown of the modern DINK (Double Income No Kids) lifestyle.
Transcript
1.5 ye hai average bacche jo ek Bhartiya aurat apni zindagi mein paida kar rahi hai. human civilization ko replicate ya maintain karne ke liye at a population level. ek replacement level hota hai. woh number hota hai 2.1 matlab on an average agar poore population mein the women are producing 2.1 kids in per life time to population maintain rahegi. isse kam agar number chala jaayega to population dheere-dheere ghatne lagegi. isse zyada rahega to population badhti rahegi. India as a whole has gone below this number 1.9. rural shahron mein abhi bhi 2.1 hai ye number. lekin urban cities aur Delhi jaise shahron mein yeh number ghat ke 1.5 ho chuka. ab you might think ki Ankur ji iski wajah se kyunki log bacche nahi paida karna chaahte. like double income, no kids wala lifestyle ab ekdam dominant ho chuka hai. hum itni saari reels dekhte hain ki pati patni itne khush hain. woh travel kar rahe hain. bacchon ki chikchik nahi hai. school nahi karna, ye nahi karna, kutte paal rahe hain, billi paal rahe hain. usi mein khush hain. but there was a very
Why it works
Practical, immediately actionable financial advice ('live on one income for 3 months before conceiving') that couples will save and send to their partners.
Transcript
the one two three four rule. number one remove one income. as a family teen mahine ke liye ek income chahe woh pati ki ho ya patni ki remove kar dejiye. and sirf ek hi income apna poora ghar chalaaiye. and see how comfortable you are or not. because once you have the child that is going to be the reality for atleast. 26 weeks perhaps 3 years to us ek hi income par apni zindagi chala paana is the true test of whether you are even financially ready or not to aapke paas do cover hone chahiye ek life insurance cover from both the parents who are earning kyunki kisi ki bhi zindagi ko agar kuch ho jaaye there is a direct impact on the financial well being of the household and then health insurance for all the family members including the child child that you are planning for once they come into the world taaki sabki health cover ho. kabhi bhi kisi health condition ki wajah se financially strain. now three are
