The infertility rates in our country are up. And while I know this (never having children, but able to) is the case with some people, I just can’t believe it’s all the cases. Maybe some of these couples really WANT kids but are too ashamed to say they can’t have them due to infertility. We can’t have children but would gladly welcome a dozen if God willed it. So, for now, we have two dogs and foster others. We aren’t getting pets instead of children, we enjoy them as we wait for the blessing of children. We, of course, would much rather have children than pets. I would never have a pet over a child or siblings for that child. But one day I hope to have both children and pets.I’ve noticed an increasing number of people stating they don’t want kids and planning on never having any. I would like to but God will have to work on that for me if it’s his will. But overall I see more people getting pets rather then having children???
I’ve read articles citing studies that show that yes, couples are increasingly choosing childlessness and instead “raising” pets (meanwhile single women are increasingly choosing parenthood). I think there’s definitely a disconnect now between children and marriage in our broader culture!! Marriage is seen more as a romantic/financial fulfillment whereas parenthood is seen as an entirely separate source of fulfillment. Both are being put off until almost 30 where they may or may not come together! But, in Catholic circles, I’ve seen lots of couples having kids. I mean, lots. And the ones who don’t are struggling with infertility and faithfully enduring the baby cries all throughout Mass, wishing they had kids too! I for one would love to have kids, but first need to get married. And I am unwilling to go the “single mom by choice” route that is more and more popular!The infertility rates in our country are up. And while I know this (never having children, but able to) is the case with some people, I just can’t believe it’s all the cases. Maybe some of these couples really WANT kids but are too ashamed to say they can’t have them due to infertility. We can’t have children but would gladly welcome a dozen if God willed it. So, for now, we have two dogs and foster others. We aren’t getting pets instead of children, we enjoy them as we wait for the blessing of children. We, of course, would much rather have children than pets. I would never have a pet over a child or siblings for that child. But one day I hope to have both children and pets.
Like JustAnotherThou said. I see pregnancy and larger families on the rise. Even non religious persons seem to be having 3, 4, 5, even more vs the original 1-2 a couple. Many celebrities are pregnant or mothers right now. It really is on the rise. But, again, infertility makes me extra perceptive to these things.
So yeah, I am part of the statistic of delaying marriage and childbearing, but not by choice.I know exactly what you mean. I teach a science class online for mainly public school students. There is a question within the course asking the students what they think the world will be like in 20 years. At first I was shocked that 100% of their answers indicated that the world will be getting worse and basically will be a terrible place, due to humans not caring about the environment. Now it has become commonplace, so that I would be shocked if any student came up with positive solutions or took a skeptical (i.e. scientific) approach to global warming. The most typical response predicts environmental disaster caused by global warming.Raising kids IS tougher than it was decades ago. But a couple of my own daughters ahve been brainwashed into thinking that the world is doomed anyway, so what’s the point? It’s sad to see such hopeless and fatalistic viewpoints prevailing.
Charlatans such as Al Gore have much to answer for. He's as much of a con man as Bernie Madoff. It seems that there is at least one young person who commits suicide every other week in my area now. It's the leftists who destroy the environment. Look at the USSR! I attended the first W. inauguration, and the grounds were spotless. Yet, after BO's, I understand that the city looked as if a tornado had gone through. The left talks a good game, but they see decent people as suckers for the taking, and history proves they are right. Blessings, Rob :(I guess if nobody had kids the world would be doomed! It takes a certain level of reproduction just to maintain a society. If fertility rates drop too low, they essentially cannot be reversed, and the society dies out or is replaced by immigrants.Raising kids IS tougher than it was decades ago. But a couple of my own daughters ahve been brainwashed into thinking that the world is doomed anyway, so what’s the point? It’s sad to see such hopeless and fatalistic viewpoints prevailing.
Though most people around me do seem to have small families of one or two kids…but I can;t really be sure.
When a person commits to Catholic marriage, they are committing to the vocation of parenthood and promising to be open to life. Choosing marriage is choosing parenthood, and the idea that married couples can somehow “opt out” entirely is very modern and is most definitely not part of Catholic teachings. Actually, any time a person engages in sexual activity - “protection” or none - they need to be prepared for the possibility that life will occur (sex = babies). Unfortunately, many Americans today do not make the connection that sex = babies, and so we have the some of the highest unwed pregnancy rates in the world. Also, unfortunately, there is a false view these days that marriage and parenthood is purely personal. No, in fact, it’s not entirely. Family life, stability, and health are what make the world “go round” and as Catholics we believe God is the author of family life - it is not something we invented - and natural law testifies to this. Even the government recognizes that some aspects of family life are not just personal. I was just reading about how fertility rates are so low in Europe that governments are getting very nervous and trying to find ways to inspire couples to have children because otherwise the culture and the economy cannot be sustained. The “personal” decisions of couples to only have one child or no children could quite literally be the downfall of these nations. (Of course, I would never advocate forcing anyone to have children, but the point is, marriage and parenthood are not just private - they are important elements of humanity, communities and cultures).
That may be a SECULAR viewpoint - but what did God say? “Be fertile and multiply” is what we read in Genesis 1:28. Additionally, in the Catholic nuptial rite, one of the questions asked is “Will you accept children lovingly?”
Dear SanctaMaria! Bless you in your education and your goals! You are not yet married and so I don’t think anyone here would expect you to be actively pursuing parenthood at this time. As a Catholic, though, when one marries, the committment includes accepting children at the time, and in the number, that God decides. As a medical student, I watched colleagues marry, some parent (I was a single mom with three boys through my undergraduate work and half of medical school) but most actively contracepted and a number aborted pregnancies because of the convenience of the timing. Those are the people whose choices set them up for infertility issues later.