Elon Musk's Mother Criticizes the Poor for Choosing Dinner Dates and Movies Over Having Children, Boasting About Raising the World's Richest Billionaire

In a world where financial struggles seem to be an unavoidable part of daily life, Maye Musk, the 77-year-old mother of the world's richest man, Elon Musk, is offering a controversial piece of advice to those on the fence about having children. Appearing on Fox & Friends in December, Maye doubled down on a message she had shared previously on X (formerly Twitter), suggesting that economic hardship should not stand in the way of parenthood. 

Her message? If you’re holding off on having children due to financial concerns, just skip the dinner dates and movie nights—and have the baby.

"You don't have to go to the movies, you don't have to go out for dinner," she told the Fox hosts. "Just spend time with the most wonderful gifts you can ever have—children."

Maye Musk’s advice is framed as a simple, almost charming, call to focus on the "gifts" of parenthood rather than material comforts. However, it’s not the first time she has shared her perspective on what it means to raise children without significant wealth. In fact, her message has been consistent for years, even echoing a post she made a month earlier on social media.

This time, however, she was responding to a comedian’s lament about how difficult it is to afford children in today’s economy. In her post, she recounted how she raised her three children—Elon, Kimbal, and Tosca—in modest two-bedroom homes, beginning in a tiny apartment overlooking a garage.

Maye Musk’s tone was one of determination. She explained that she didn’t feel deprived but rather resourceful. "We didn’t go out for dinner nor to the movies," she wrote. "As soon as I could afford some help in the house, I opened my dietetics practice in my home… Have children, add value to your life."

While Maye’s intent was undoubtedly to inspire and encourage those who feel financially burdened, the advice struck a nerve with many on social media. For some, her message felt out of touch, a luxury-brand coupon in a dollar store.

People pointed out the vast differences between Maye Musk’s experience and the realities many face today, where the cost of raising children has skyrocketed. Critics were quick to call out the impracticality of skipping dinner and movies in a world where child care costs can rival a mortgage.

“It’s not the movie tickets that are breaking us,” one commenter wrote. “It’s $400 a week for daycare and $5 strawberries.”

And they’re not wrong. According to a study released in March by LendingTree, the cost of raising a child to age 18 has ballooned to a staggering $297,674—up 25.3% from 2023. The average annual cost to raise a small child now stands at $29,419, nearly 36% higher than just two years ago. Daycare alone has risen by 51.8%, with food and insurance premiums climbing at a similar pace.

This number doesn’t even include college tuition, unexpected emergencies, or the countless small expenses parents incur in their attempts to keep their children safe, healthy, and entertained. It also doesn’t take into account the emotional toll of trying to juggle these costs while maintaining a semblance of balance in life.

For many families, the idea of forgoing dinner and movie nights to save money for children is simply not a workable solution. The sharp drop in the Child Tax Credit, which is now only worth $2,000 per child—down from $3,600 during the pandemic era—has only made the financial burden of raising children feel more overwhelming.

Families are now spending nearly a quarter of their income just to cover child-related expenses, with the situation varying widely by location. In Hawaii, for instance, families spend 25.4% of their income on children, while even in Mississippi—where costs are relatively low—that figure stands at 16%.

Maye Musk’s own experience as a single mother, building a career in nutrition and modeling, provides context for her viewpoint. She worked hard to make ends meet, clearly displaying immense resilience in the face of adversity. She didn’t have the luxury of unlimited resources, and yet she successfully raised three children, including one who would go on to become the richest man in the world.

But this is where the disconnect happens for many. The economic landscape has changed dramatically since Maye Musk’s time as a young mother in the 1970s.

Today’s families are faced with sky-high housing costs, disappearing benefits, shrinking aid programs, and a job market that makes it increasingly difficult to maintain financial stability, let alone start a family. The world Maye Musk navigated was vastly different from the one parents face today.

At the heart of this conversation is Elon Musk, who has long been an outspoken advocate for boosting birth rates. He has even suggested that the future of civilization could depend on increasing the number of children born. His public push for higher birth rates aligns with his mother’s viewpoint on the subject—children are, in their view, a gift that should not be overshadowed by financial challenges.

But the reality of raising children in today’s economy is vastly different from what Maye Musk may have experienced decades ago. Telling struggling families to skip date night, eliminate movie outings, and focus on the “greatest gifts” in life may not resonate with those who can barely afford to keep the lights on, let alone fund the rising costs of child care, education, and basic living expenses.

For many people, children are not simply a matter of lifestyle choices—they are an immense financial investment that may feel out of reach entirely, no matter how many movie nights they forgo.

In a 2025 world, Maye Musk’s view of children as "the greatest gift" may be well-intentioned, but for many families, it comes with a receipt that feels more like a 30-year mortgage than a precious treasure. The truth is, children are a significant financial commitment—and dinner isn’t the only thing that needs to be sacrificed.

Elon Musk’s mother’s perspective is undoubtedly shaped by her own experiences and the unique trajectory her family has taken. But for those struggling to make ends meet in today’s economic climate, her advice may seem like an oversimplification of a complex issue.

Raising children in 2025 requires far more than just skipping a few movie dates—it requires navigating an economic minefield that can leave parents questioning whether they are even able to afford to feed their children, let alone raise them in the way they would want.

While Maye Musk’s advice might have worked for her in her time, it is not the reality for millions of American families today. It is easy to suggest that people should focus on what really matters—children—when you have a lifetime of financial security and access to limitless resources.

But for many, simply affording to raise a child without sinking into debt or sacrificing the basics of a comfortable life is a daily challenge. And that’s a truth that cannot be overlooked.

In the end, the greatest gift of all may not be children themselves—but the ability to provide for them, in a world that increasingly makes that seem like an impossible dream.