Exactly.The solution proposed (have more children) is a tough one for one reason. You are suggesting that couples abandon their personal desires/preferences that benefit them for a choice that benefits society.
I very much doubt most of us make major life altering choices based on society’s needs.
That’s a great quote.Another quote from the article, under the heading “Where to Go From Here:”
“The government cannot get people to have children they do not want. However, it can help people have the children they do want.”
You make some good points. Your comments about car seats reminded me of a time when most cars were family sedans with a bench seat in front and back. I can recall taking family vacations with my parents and siblings in a family sedan with three people in the front and four in the back. Some years ago I tried to rent a big car with a bench seat in front but no such thing existed.That’s a great quote.
Governments often do things that make it difficult for families, often done while trying to help. Car seat laws are one example. No one wants children to die in car accidents! But the car seat laws don’t just prevent children from dying–they prevent them from being conceived in the first place. The current car seat laws have now made it virtually impossible to find a car that fits more than three children. Parents who might be willing to consider another child now find their cars are filled to capacity.
Hotel room regulations are another example. In some counties and states regulations mean that families cannot fit in a room, and even “family suites” may not fit large-ish families. In our travels, we found the same motel chain with exact same suite can fit us in one county but couldn’t in another. Of course, no one wants people to die in hotel fires! But these types of regulations make it difficult or impossible to accommodate families.
Education laws are another example. I’m not advocating for leaving children uneducated, but our educational system makes it more and more difficult for parent to have more than one or two children. We homeschool, but if we were to send our children to school, we’d have to deal with four different schools, with varying start times, varying school vacations, large amounts of homework at young ages that require parental assistance, etc. While I value education, I find it much easier to homeschool rather than trying to co-ordinate all this with dozens of educators.
When laws try to “fix” one problem, they often create more problems. As laws and society holds parents to different and higher parenting standards, people opt have fewer children. I don’t blame them. Our society makes it difficult for parents with more than three children to attend school, vacation in hotels and to drive a mid-sized car.
Children are expensive, not just in monetary terms but time plus a real risk to the mother’s life (if not for modern medicine). But I still think a major factor is that in previous times children just “happened”. I wonder if given the choice if people from previous times (other than farmers and such) would opt for fewer children?That’s a great quote.
Governments often do things that make it difficult for families, often done while trying to help. Car seat laws are one example. No one wants children to die in car accidents! But the car seat laws don’t just prevent children from dying–they prevent them from being conceived in the first place. The current car seat laws have now made it virtually impossible to find a car that fits more than three children. Parents who might be willing to consider another child now find their cars are filled to capacity.
Hotel room regulations are another example. In some counties and states regulations mean that families cannot fit in a room, and even “family suites” may not fit large-ish families. In our travels, we found the same motel chain with exact same suite can fit us in one county but couldn’t in another. Of course, no one wants people to die in hotel fires! But these types of regulations make it difficult or impossible to accommodate families.
Education laws are another example. I’m not advocating for leaving children uneducated, but our educational system makes it more and more difficult for parent to have more than one or two children. We homeschool, but if we were to send our children to school, we’d have to deal with four different schools, with varying start times, varying school vacations, large amounts of homework at young ages that require parental assistance, etc. While I value education, I find it much easier to homeschool rather than trying to co-ordinate all this with dozens of educators.
When laws try to “fix” one problem, they often create more problems. As laws and society holds parents to different and higher parenting standards, people opt have fewer children. I don’t blame them. Our society makes it difficult for parents with more than three children to attend school, vacation in hotels and to drive a mid-sized car.
When I lived in a third world country, it was pretty much a given that couples should have a large amount of children because it was a given that not all will survive to adulthood.Children are expensive, not just in monetary terms but time plus a real risk to the mother’s life (if not for modern medicine). But I still think a major factor is that in previous times children just “happened”. I wonder if given the choice if people from previous times (other than farmers and such) would opt for fewer children?
I don’t know how some big families do it.You make some good points. Your comments about car seats reminded me of a time when most cars were family sedans with a bench seat in front and back. I can recall taking family vacations with my parents and siblings in a family sedan with three people in the front and four in the back. Some years ago I tried to rent a big car with a bench seat in front but no such thing existed.
With regard to schooling I wish that more parishes followed the lead of those in my diocese. For parents who are tithing a percentage of income, there is no tuition for the children, no matter how many children a family may have in the school. That would not work for public schools, though.
I also think that tax exemptions for dependents need to be increased dramatically. The original article offers some other thoughts.
I have been thinking about this post since yesterday.The solution proposed (have more children) is a tough one for one reason. You are suggesting that couples abandon their personal desires/preferences that benefit them for a choice that benefits society.
I very much doubt most of us make major life altering choices based on society’s needs.