Giving birth in USA vs India

[sinstoic]

Hi. Most of my friends have tried and successfully gave birth to a baby while they were in USA. My friends claim that they have given the best possible gift to their child by making him or her a citizen of USA. They tell me that this ensures that their kid will have a great education, career and a comfortable life.

They point out that increasing population in India has led to unwanted competition and puts too much pressure on todays youth. Caste based reservations in all spheres make matters worse. They tell me that you can't have a comfortable life even if you have enough money in India. This is very true as I have myself experienced this in many spheres.

Where do you think is the best place to give birth to your baby - USA or India and why? What benefit will my kid have by the virtue of being an USA citizen? Are Indian policies going to be so bad in future that my kid will have to suffer for a decent life in India?

[raajii25]

Hi there,
I think you are raising some of your personal concerns in a public forum. However, as you have asked Qs, I would like to opine on some of them.

Firstly, your question is not clear - are you asking about giving birth in States or about benefits to be gained from education there? You can be educated in the States without being born there.

Secondly, just giving birth in the States does not automatically ensure good education and career opportunities. Further, a good and comfortable lifestyle will not necessarily follow a good education. One just has to work hard in the system one chooses - India, US or any other.

Yes, India is a populous country. And for it size, scale, and diversity, it has done reasonably well. India definitely has given its citizens opportunities at good education. This is a fact, that despite reservation, nepotism and other issues cannot be ignored. It is on the basis of such education that so many Indians today are professionally employed in the States.

True, many challenges remain, but students who have excelled include not only those coming from Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, and Kolkatta. They are also those who got a village education in a vernacular language, and through sheer determination and merit made their way to their dreams.

Education of the new generation is always a struggle. Ask any of your US based friends. You may be amazed by the fact that entry into a good school is just as competitive in the States as it is in India. Remember the long queues, teaching your children the alphabet, and social skills just to make that great first impression in premier nursery schools in the Indian metros? Well, its the same in the metros in the States. An investigative report by an American news channel just recently showed the 'battle' amongst urban and suburban parents who are willing to pay $25,000+ per year just to get their kid 'a good start in life'!! It can certainly be argued that such a start might be just as stressful but definitely cheaper in India.

Finally one should also think about the socio-cultural environment in which education is given. All systems have advantages and drawbacks. What does education mean to you and what are you looking to get out of it for your child?

I agree that we are all looking to give our children the best in life. And we all do it in our own unique way - depending on our financial ability and life choices. One cannot weigh entire systems against each other to come to a definitive conclusion. Consider your choices and come to an informed decision.

Good luck!!

Raajii :)

[soormabhopali]

Hi ,
Do u watch TV ? Like Zee ,or other Desi channels ?
Have u heared ads for Pandit Maharaj or Hakim shaheb ?
Like if ur child is taking drugs ,or unwanted realtions etc etc ..job loss debt lababaa ..that shows Indians pr South asian in North america have serious problems related to family matters that why lot of astrologers .black magic ads u can see on desi channels .Much more then India .

It means no body knows future ,India also have problems and US too .
i know many families who have grown up kids and kind of issues they face .

If you think u can face better in US then India then no harm u can make ur kid US citizen and be happy .

Whats most important is what values you can give to your child values that include family ,social values ,cultural values and religious values .
If you can do all these ,India or US doesn't make differnece ,otherwise you are simlpy trying to remove ur fear from reality nothing else .




Hi there,
I think you are raising some of your personal concerns in a public forum. However, as you have asked Qs, I would like to opine on some of them.

Firstly, your question is not clear - are you asking about giving birth in States or about benefits to be gained from education there? You can be educated in the States without being born there.

Secondly, just giving birth in the States does not automatically ensure good education and career opportunities. Further, a good and comfortable lifestyle will not necessarily follow a good education. One just has to work hard in the system one chooses - India, US or any other.

Yes, India is a populous country. And for it size, scale, and diversity, it has done reasonably well. India definitely has given its citizens opportunities at good education. This is a fact, that despite reservation, nepotism and other issues cannot be ignored. It is on the basis of such education that so many Indians today are professionally employed in the States.

True, many challenges remain, but students who have excelled include not only those coming from Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, and Kolkatta. They are also those who got a village education in a vernacular language, and through sheer determination and merit made their way to their dreams.

Education of the new generation is always a struggle. Ask any of your US based friends. You may be amazed by the fact that entry into a good school is just as competitive in the States as it is in India. Remember the long queues, teaching your children the alphabet, and social skills just to make that great first impression in premier nursery schools in the Indian metros? Well, its the same in the metros in the States. An investigative report by an American news channel just recently showed the 'battle' amongst urban and suburban parents who are willing to pay $25,000+ per year just to get their kid 'a good start in life'!! It can certainly be argued that such a start might be just as stressful but definitely cheaper in India.

Finally one should also think about the socio-cultural environment in which education is given. All systems have advantages and drawbacks. What does education mean to you and what are you looking to get out of it for your child?

I agree that we are all looking to give our children the best in life. And we all do it in our own unique way - depending on our financial ability and life choices. One cannot weigh entire systems against each other to come to a definitive conclusion. Consider your choices and come to an informed decision.

Good luck!!

Raajii :)

[sinstoic]

Thanks. Your replies were informative and helpful.

I am amazed and confused as to why Indians are so crazy about USA.

A friend of mine was very much interested in settling in the USA. After many H1B visa rejections, he finally managed to get an H1B visa and worked in the USA for 3 years. When he realized that his dream of H1B visa extension and later green card was highly unlikely due to many issues, he and his wife decided to have a kid as soon as possible. They gave birth to their son and managed to secure all required documents before returning to India.

He told me that by making his son an American citizen, he has ensured two things. First, his son will not have to struggle for US Visas. He has decided that he will send his son to the USA for higher education. Once his son has settled down in the USA with a secure job, he and his wife plan to go to the USA on B2 Visa and illegally stay in the USA forever. He tells me if things go as planned, from the 50th year of his life till death, he will have a comfortable life. He says that he is not just referring to material comfort but to everyday routine life which is a struggle in India.

I asked my USA-crazy friend as to from where did he get such an idea. He told me that he was inspired by his Chinese colleagues who were doing this trick from the past several years. Even a distant cousin of mine told me that he had met several Chinese and Tibetians, who were illegally staying in the USA for the past decade after entering the USA as tourists. He found them selling trinkets/groceries and some even running restaurants and other businesses. My cousin attributes these incidents to the increasing rejections of tourist visas to Asians and this has resulted in increased rejection of visas to genuine Indian tourists.

When I met my friend last month, he was a very happy man. The couple had given birth to a beautiful girl on their birth trip (B2 visa) to the USA. Wow! I was amazed that they had managed to time the birth of their daughter and get an B2 visa without any problems.

Living midst such friends and colleagues, I am being increasingly pressured to make good use of my USA trip by having a baby there. My only concern is will I be ruining my son's life by giving birth to him in India? (My life in India has been good and I don't see any problems living the rest of my life in India but I am very much concerned about the future of my children given the politics, reservations and other nonsense that is increasing by the day in India.)

Well. I am thoroughly confused.

[saisai]

Your friends are crazy. Please stop debating on this. You should have baby when you and your spouse is ready to have one…..period. Don’t be so confused.
Good Luck!