Fewer Children Because of the Economy

Written By: Dan Stanley  |  Posted: Sunday, July 3rd, 2016

            Recent reports reveal that the birthrate of children in America has declined. The major reason given for this, according to Paul Bedard, is because of the economy. This may be true. But our guess is it goes much deeper than just the economy. We believe at the root of the decline in couples having children is the issue of being self-centered along with a failure to understand the blessing children are to a home and their parents. Old age will bring into focus the true value of having children. Such a blessing and benefit children are to the family, that few things can compare to it. The Bible has a reason that it not only commends large families, but calls them the heritage of the Lord. The more the merrier it states in the Book of Psalms.

   But coming back to the economy being the reason for the decline in the birth of children. If that is true, it is a faulty reason. When a person claims the economy is the reason they do not have more children, they often no doubt are sincere. But they are wrong. Just imagine if their grandparents thought that way. Most of them would not be here today! The sleight of hand that fools (giving them the benefit of the doubt) today's couples is the suggestion their children need a college education along with access to all the modern day amenities. There are many people reading this who grew up without the modern day amenities as well as a full college education. They even recall one car per house as well as barely being able to eat out, but they had parents who loved them, and they grew up just fine. It is a fallacy to think our children need to go through college to make a living. It is also a fallacy to think they need all the modern day advantages technologically, including so many vacations that our grandparents would have had cause to shake their heads. We have traded our freedom in our family lives (having several children included) for more material goods as well as the mother going out of the home. The chickens are coming home, and it is not good. The fruit of our materialism and being self-centered, as well as thinking that economically we cannot afford children, has resulted in more than just having fewer children. It has resulted in divorce, debt, and bondage. We thought our grandparents' generation was in bondage to hard work (they were but it was good), whereas we are not. The opposite is true. The freedom we enjoy today is being able to have three cars, vacations, and benefits. The price is bondage to our finances, our electronics, and our self serving lives.

   No, the real reason we do not have several children is not the economy. It is our desire for more and more material things as well as our unwillingness to take on the responsibility of having several children. It is rooted in more than the economy. It is rooted in bad thinking. We would even contend, if raised and trained right, that a child today can do better than anyone else materially if that child is raised to make his own living and to not live beyond his means. He can do better financially and most important, he will have the best family life. Few things on earth are more appealing than a large family that is well regulated due to love and proper training of those children by their parents.

Dan Stanley has pastored in Western Wisconsin for over thirty years and is an owner and contributing editor of The US Journal. Email: .