Having Children

A new survey from the Pew Research Center finds that more adults report they do not want to have children — ever. About 44% of people ages 18 to 49 report it’s unlikely or “not too likely” that they’ll have children. In a 2018 survey, 37% of adults who weren’t parents shared those same thoughts.

The number one reason is fear of bringing kids up in the world we are living in today. Now more than ever, there is an armageddon feeling in the air. That everything is going to come crashing down, that the global pandemic will never go away, that the world we know will never return, and it will possibly get worse. Inflation looms, travel is anxiety-ridden, and everything is on the edge of going to shit.

If you go back and read all the US President’s speeches from the start, the consistent theme is we have always been in some crisis. Crisis’ that seemed insurmountable, but somehow we always seem to evolve.

One of our best attributes as humans is that we like to live. We want to stay alive and connect with others. We embrace life as best as we can. Look at Covid; it is pretty impressive how we all managed to adapt.

That is why raising children at any time in our history is essential. It keeps the wheels turning and the circle of life evolving.

I can try and understand someone not wanting to have a child, although it is one of the biggest joys of my life. At times it was trying; we had very little to make ends meet, it was exhausting and a tremendous responsibility, but nothing good is ever easy.

Undoubtedly, our environment is scary, but so was WWI, WWII, the threat of nuclear war, AIDS, and plenty of other fearful crises’ that took up all the space in the room. Watching a child giggle, grow, and snuggle reminds me that another generation grows and solves the problems of the last generations so they too can grow old and watch their children have children.

It might not be for everybody and indeed, we have more choices today than ever before, but as Roy Bennett said, “Instead of worrying about what you cannot control, shift your energy to what you can create.”