Birth Rate

We hare been told that families needs 2.1 children to maintain the size of a nation. Our family is typical as my birth mother was 1 of 12 children, my father, 1 of 10, I was one of five, and our daughter has two children, one adopted after years of being infertile. So how else does a nation grow? By those who exceed the minimum birthrate, by the admission of migrants and open borders with ease of entry and solicitation (in-gathering) for filling needs and . . .

An article hit the news about a couple with four daughters expecting a son soon. It was a compelling story of how he viewed his family as a model for many fathers and families. With a birthrate on the decline, parents delaying the event while getting established, abortion rates climbing, divorce, common-law marriages and same sex unions, the odds could be against the necessary number of births for numerical growth internally.

Modernity is not always beneficial, with various birth control options available and parents with more on their minds than upbringing with nurseries and preschools available. I remember being questioned when I retired at age 68 and I chose to volunteer in our church nursery. It was a highlight of my early retirement cuddling those precious little ones.

Not all infants, growing youngsters and even teens are without their challenging mannerisms and demands, like the youngster wanting a smart cell phone to be like the other kids. We are witnessing a surge of women in the marketplace unlike former years. We once lived in a country where there were terms for the mother-at home vs. the mother in the labor force. One was much more derogatory than the other. Guess which one.

In those ancient but famous Ten Commandments, one is primarily for parents: Honor your mother and father (if you want society to prosper) which includes small children who must be taught by adult parents and includes parents honoring their parents (now grand parents) and so on. And when the Genesis account introduces Adam and then creates Eve, a helpmate (not a slave) for him, and then when they forfeit living in the Garden of Eden, they were admonished to multiply and replenish (fill up, make full) the earth. Quite a clear admonition to the human race which pretty much is ignored by too many.