America’s Confusing Relationship with Children

<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW115499790 BCX4"> <p><span data-contrast="auto">In a recent “X” post that went viral,</span> <a href= "https://twitter.com/ElijahSchaffer/status/1714269475070189834"><span data-contrast="none"> a young woman lamented:</span></a><span data-contrast= "auto"> </span><span data-ccp-props= "{"201341983":0,"335559731":720,"335559739":0,"335559740":480}"> </span></p> <p><span data-contrast="auto">"[I’m] Realizing at 32 that I don’t care about building a career or climbing any corporate ladder. All I want to do is make the most amount of money working the least amount of hours possible so I can spend the MAJORITY of my time with my family, living life on my own terms instead of spending 40+ years working for a boss who’s paying me what he thinks is 'fair.'"</span></p> <p><span data-contrast="auto">This woman speaks for many 30-and-40-somethings who wish they’d prioritized marriage and children earlier. As births in the U.S.</span> <a href= "https://www.google.com/search?q=birth+rate+per+woman+usa&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS1061US1061&oq=birth+rate+per+woman+usa&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyCQgAEEUYORiABDIICAEQABgWGB4yCggCEAAYhgMYigUyCggDEAAYhgMYigUyCggEEAAYhgMYigXSAQgzNzgyajFqN6gCALACAA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8"> <span data-contrast="none">sink farther</span></a> <span data-contrast="auto">below the replacement rate, and the average age of first marriage</span> <a href= "https://www.bgsu.edu/ncfmr/resources/data/family-profiles/julian-median-age-first-marriage-2021-fp-22-15.html"> <span data-contrast="none">hovers</span></a> <span data-contrast= "auto">near an all-time high, a growing number of people are seeing the appeal of a life centered more around family than career, success, or status.  </span><span data-ccp-props= "{"201341983":0,"335559731":720,"335559739":0,"335559740":480}"> </span></p> <p><span data-contrast="auto">In fact,</span> <a href= "https://ifstudies.org/blog/americans-desire-for-large-families-hits-50-year-high"> <span data-contrast="none">Gallup’s Social Series survey recently found</s