Parent Trap: Part II

Instapundit again linked to a fantastic post at Szunping regarding Family Size. The author says:

Since we expect to be done living our own lives to some extent before having children, we are in essence saying we will live through our children. Their wellbeing and future are paramount to us, which really means we are elevating our children to unhealthy levels. They become projects because we feel so responsible for our choice to have them. This is where the classical music for the womb and SAT tutors come in. Plus we overprotect them because we think that is our job.

This trend is creating some weird results. The Wall Street Journal recently did an article about Mother’s Day. (Sorry, can’t find the link.) Many twenty-somethings are giving their moms self-improvement gifts. No, not a spa or cooking lessons for mom. These kids are signing themselves up for match.com and getting their tattoos removed for Mother’s Day. I wanted to gag. The moms were actually quoted as saying they were happy with these “gifts”. Well, nice job raising these self-absorbed leeches! I do wonder if these kids used their own money for the “gifts”.

In any case, the point I wanted to make is that children used to be a given and now it’s a choice. The ramifications of that is fewer children overall but they’re extremely coddled. I have more to say, but we have to go to the supermarket before our camping trip tomorrow! Yay!

"...now it's a choice."

Is Female Contraception the silver bullet for reduced birthrates? After some reflection, her hypothesis seems right.

Birth control:

1. Takes the consequences out of unprotected sex
2. Removes men from the child equation
3. Allows mom to delay--she gets her education, waits for the perfect mate
   
4. A delay can mean less/no kids
5. Reduces fertility in some forms
6. Increases STDs reducing fertility
7. Increases risky behavior--resulting in unplanned pregnancies (false sense of security)
8. Unplanned pregnancies result in abortions
9. Unplanned pregnancies result in single motherhood
10. Supercedes church doctrine (families started to rationalize away church teachings--a father used to have to be willing to forgo sex a lot of the time to not create a child, so either big families or male misery or mistress--birth control solved his problem)

When these things happened and people had fewer kids by "choice" instead of by "nature" (remember the song "Love and marriage, love and marriage, go together like a horse and carriage?"), lots of societal changes followed.

Gotta go. Ballet and birthday presents!