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4 excuses you're using to delay having children that are completely rubbish
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Are there certain things standing in your way of having kids? This is normal, but complete rubbish. Don't let these 4 ideas stand in your way of starting your family. - photo by Megan Shauri
It seems more and more common for people to put off having kids. They want to have the perfect life set up to bring a baby into the world. While this is a great idea, it is not realistic. Here are 4 reasons why your excuses are complete rubbish.

1. Money

One of the biggest reasons people put off having children is because they are not financially stable. While kids do cost a lot of money, there is no magic number as to how much money you need to have in order to start having kids. You may never reach the amount you think you need.

You may not be able to afford the most expensive stroller, designer baby clothes or all of the organic baby items, but there are so many ways to save money when preparing for a baby and while raising your kids. Some ideas are accepting hand-me-downs from friends and family, registering for gifts, even if you do not get all the items on your registry that you need, you will get a discount when you buy those items at the end of your pregnancy.

Having children means you may have to let go of some of the things you are used to having in order to pay for things that they need. You may not get to eat out as often or buy as many clothes as before, but your child will do a great job of teaching you to be less selfish. The best part is your love for them will far outweigh your love for those things you gave up.

2. Career

A lot of people want to have their career underway before they start having kids. They want to be done with school, done with entry-level jobs and moving up the ladder before their first child enters the world. While this is a very responsible and good plan, life does not always work out that way. You never know what will happen. The economy can change, you may lose your job, or something may happen to you where you can no longer do that job anymore.

While you may feel that you need to work on your career before kids, do not think having kids means your professional life cannot continue to advance. It may be a bit harder to pull all-nighters when you have a child that wakes up and needs your attention, but it can be done. Several parents are successful in the business field as well as at home. Dont let this stand in your way of starting your family.

3. Age

For many people, they put having kids on hold until they are a bit older. They want to live their life as much as possible before little ones put a damper on their plans and feel that with age comes maturity and an ability to take on more responsibility. They may be a bit further in their career, have a bit more financial security and maybe even already live in their dream home, but there are definite disadvantages when you wait to have kids.

Medically, once you enter your late 30s, early 40s you are considered high risk for pregnancy. You have a greater chance of having complications, having problems conceiving and this age poses risks to the development of the child you are carrying. It is not impossible to have a child later on in life, but if you are planning to have more than 1 or 2 kids, you should start much earlier in your life. It should also be noted that the younger you are, the more energy you have so waiting until you are older makes it harder to keep up with your kids.

When you have kids your life does not end. In fact, doing things like traveling, going to amusement parks and other things you thought would need to be put on hold to have kids is more fun with kids. You get to live things for the first time through their eyes. There is nothing better than seeing the look on their face when they see or do something that is exciting to them. It makes life even better.

4. Fear

Once you have kids, your life will never be the same. Yes, your everyday life will change drastically. You are responsible for a human being, for how they are raised, for their health and their happiness. This scares a lot of people and prevents them from having kids because they feel they are not ready. While a person should definitely want to have kids, if fear of change is the only thing standing in their way, they should not let that stop them.

You cannot control bad things from happening in your life, but you can control good things, and having kids is a good thing. They bring so much more joy and happiness than they do stress and worry. It is scary when things happen and when your life changes, but you will never look back once you take the first step.

Dont let these doubts and fears stand in your way for having kids. They can all be overcome. You never know what life will throw at you, and by waiting you could be missing out on some of the happiest memories of your life.
Its toxic: New study says blue light from tech devices can speed up blindness
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A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers. - photo by Herb Scribner
It turns out checking Twitter or Facebook before bed is bad for your health.

A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers.

That process can lead to age-related macular degeneration, which is a leading cause of blindness in the United States, according to the researchs extract.

Blue light is a common issue for many modern Americans. Blue light is emitted from screens, most notably at night, causing sleep loss, eye strain and a number of other issues.

Dr. Ajith Karunarathne, assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, said our constant exposure to blue light cant be blocked by the lens or cornea.

"It's no secret that blue light harms our vision by damaging the eye's retina. Our experiments explain how this happens, and we hope this leads to therapies that slow macular degeneration, such as a new kind of eye drop, he said.

Macular degeneration is an incurable eye disease that often affects those in their 50s or 60s. It occurs after the death of photoreceptor cells in the retina. Those cells need retinal to sense light and help signal the brain.

The research team found blue light exposure created poisonous chemical molecules that killed photoreceptor cells

"It's toxic. If you shine blue light on retinal, the retinal kills photoreceptor cells as the signaling molecule on the membrane dissolves," said Kasun Ratnayake, a Ph.D. student researcher working in Karunarathne's cellular photo chemistry group. "Photoreceptor cells do not regenerate in the eye. When they're dead, they're dead for good."

However, the researchers found a molecule called alpha-tocopherol, which comes from Vitamin E, can help prevent cell death, according to Futurism.

The researchers plan to review how light from TVs, cellphones and tablet screens affect the eyes as well.

"If you look at the amount of light coming out of your cellphone, it's not great but it seems tolerable," said Dr. John Payton, visiting assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. "Some cellphone companies are adding blue-light filters to the screens, and I think that is a good idea."

Indeed, Apple released a Night Shift mode two years ago to help quell blue lights strain on the eyes, according to The Verge. The screen will dim into a warmer, orange light that will cause less stress on the eyes.