Americans Want More Kids, and That’s a Great Thing – Part 2

Here she is: part 2 of the two-part articles on Americans’ increasing desire for larger families.

Americans Want More Kids, and That’s a Great Thing – Part 2

I will return to Morning Air next Tuesday, November 28 to talk about preparing for Advent. Fun fact: I have been in Morning Air to talk about preparing for Advent probably more than any other topic. So, it’s like an annual tradition. As a matter of fact, this article, Five Ways to Make the Most of Advent, was the reason I was invited on the show for the first time ever, back in 2016. Advent starts Sunday, December 3, and concludes Christmas eve, December 24. Here comes the most wonderful time of year!

You can tune in next Tuesday at 7:10 am eastern here.

Latest article: Americans' "ideal" family size grows. How should Catholics respond?

Readers, my latest article is up at Catholic Stand: Americans Want More Kids, and That’s a Great Thing – Part 1. part 2 is out tomorrow!

This is based on my interview with John Morales last month. Covered in part 1: why do Americans want larger families, and what are the economic and cultural factors preventing them? Tomorrow’s installment will cover what the Church says about families, and what Catholics can do to promote families of all sizes, and a culture of life.

By the way, in case you missed it: I joined Relevant Radio at the end of last month to talk about the Catholic roots of Halloween. Listen to that conversation here.

I’ll next be on Morning Air Tuesday, November 28 to talk about - Advent! Which is just around the corner. A cozy, holy, beautiful time of year., and one worth preparing for.

Hear it here: Americans want more kids

This week I spoke with Morning Air’s John Morales about the recent Gallup poll showing Americans are increasingly idealizing large families, despite our national birth rate remaining low. You can listen to the audio here, starting at 32:58.

As I shared there, despite reality not matching the ideal, it’s still a hopeful sign that Americans are viewing having 3+ children as a positive thing. I believe it is driven by many factors, including the incredible isolation of the past few years throwing into great relief the need for relationships, starting with family.

So what does it take to make the ideal match the reality? As always, it takes a culture of life. Steep hill, I know. But in the meantime Catholics can at least live their own family lives in a way that is functional, positive, and life-giving. I make the comment in the interview that Catholics should involve their kids in all aspects of their public lives, including bringing them to church. Similarly, you may sometimes hear the unrestrained, joyful or otherwise, sounds of children at Mass, or even of a person with intellectual disabilities. They belong to a family, and they have a right to be there, or a restaurant, or wherever. Act like it! And in the meantime, pray the economy improves so it ain’t so hard to have kids (among other things).

Here’s that interview. Enjoy!