Times have changed, be realistic. Not relying on parents is hard enough; don’t talk about rewards.

To make it concrete, let’s introduce three people: grandfather, father, and grandson—each 25 years apart, born in 1940, 1965, and 1990 respectively.

The grandfather never got a ticket into the game and was straight out.
When the father entered, assuming a 20% annual return, he ended up 95 times ahead of his child.
At that point, the grandson had just joined. Notice that the gap between him and his father remains fixed at 95 times.

When the grandson has 100,000, the father has 9.5 million. This isn’t a difference in ability—it’s a difference in time. When will that gap start to narrow?
Only when the father ages. Once the father reaches his late sixties or seventies, the son begins to catch up. If he can somehow equal his father’s wealth before his father passes away, that would be a mathematical miracle.

But reality is rarely so neat, because the high-growth era gives way to moderate growth.
If the father’s period delivered 20% annual returns while the son’s era yields only 10% or even 5%, the son will never catch up within the father’s lifetime. What you’re seeing here is not just a time gap but also a generational one.

If you were born in 1940 or earlier, having more children was one of the best investments you could make—the odds of profiting were extremely high.
It really is that simple. At minimum, China’s own economic timeline shows that your children will surpass you regardless of what they do, often before you even age.
But if you’re born after 1960 and your children are born after 1985, treating childbearing as an investment is a losing bet on expected value.

A few individuals might still win—for example, if their child becomes a celebrity—but that probability is vanishingly small, far lower than hitting a lottery jackpot.
Most people, however, will lose, because their children are unlikely to match their wealth within their lifetimes.

Hello, My Mother answered for us: having children isn’t an investment; it’s sacrifice, it’s love.
For parents born after 1960, that line is essentially truth, whether they like it or not—the outcome will be the same.

So it’s better to abandon the investment mindset early on.
I know I’m destined to lose, but I have no regrets—just like Ji Xiaofu named her daughter “Bu Hui” (No Regrets).
I made my choice, and I don’t regret it.