Saturday, April 28, 2007

Hot Water and Dry Towels

by Anita S. Lane

The life of a mom or dad is filled with sacrifices. Some are major, but most are small ordinary “pleasures” that we yield in order to accommodate and nurture the precious life of another human being from infancy through adulthood.

Yes, we do it willingly, and we don’t often complain, but neither do we forget—pleasures like late-night dates, sleeping in, stroller-free travel, hanging out with the guys or the gals, exercise (or sex) on a dime, exotic couples-only vacations, and gourmet meals at your favorite chíc restaurant.

However, I recently had a conversation with a mother of six—whose children are now grown—and the one simple sentence she shared with me reminded me to be thankful for the basics.

My physical being was engrossed in one big expression of exhaustion (i.e., yawn) as I approached the library check out counter with my three young boys trailing behind.
“Whew…pardon me!” I said, not wanting the librarian to think she had anything to do with the cause for my yawn.
“It’s okay. It’s Friday,” the librarian said.
I responded, “Yes, I made it through the first week of my new schedule waking up at 5:30am to workout each morning—and it’s finally catching up with me,” I gave as the excuse for my weary demeanor.

Her head tilted as she looked at me knowingly and smiled. “I used to have to get up at 5:30 a.m. for a long time,” she recounted. I just assumed she had to go to work early each morning. But her reason was very different.

She continued, “I’ve always said that I had to wake up at 5:30 each morning in order to get hot water and dry towels.”
“Really?” I chuckled, looking bewildered.
“Yes. I had six kids.”
“Oh,” I replied.

I had nothing else to say. How could I respond? One can always find things to complain about, but some things in life are just essential. So, I extend this lesson to all my fellow moms who may be reading this. No, you may not always get the break from the kids that you want. You may not enjoy weekly spa treatments or even a night out with your husband as often as you’d like. But do you have hot water and dry towels? Uh, do you? Think about it… You probably do. Now isn’t God good?

Life definitely is not a bowl of cherries. We have to learn how to count our blessings and in everything give thanks—for our lives, our health, our families, and yes—hot water and dry towels.


Copyright ©2007 by Anita S. Lane
Visit my online family magazine
http://keepingfamilyfirst.org
Check out my new book,
http://lessonsmytoddlertaughtme.com

Monday, March 26, 2007

Today, I Discovered that My Four Children Are Crucial to a Strong U.S. Economy

by Anita S. Lane

Today, I discovered that I am part of a diminishing population of Americans—the ten percent moms club. I knew it looked as though women were having fewer children than a generation ago, and that four kids seems to be considered a “large family” today, but I had no idea that by giving birth to four children I would become part of an elite class of only ten percent of American women.

Yes, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, I am among the ten percent of American women in America who will end their child bearing years with four or more children. I knew I was special—but not that special. In 1976, I would have at least had the company of 36% of American women.

Today, for a variety of reasons the average number of children that a woman can expect to have in her lifetime is two.

While this number may endear me with feelings of elitism, I wonder how this statistic fares on American life and the future of America as a whole. Are we having enough children to sustain ourselves and our economy?

How Birthrates Impact the Future of American Politics:
There is an intense war waging between conservatives and liberals and proponents of traditional family values vs. gay marriage. I read a statistic that states that conservatives have more children than liberals by 41%. Thus, the future bodes well for conservative politics because little GOPs typically grow into adult GOPs, and baby Dems typically grow into adult Dems—and homosexual couples, while typically liberal—well, they have the fewest children of all. So, liberals can expect to have far fewer future voters.

What then are the potential economic impacts of our declining birth rates?

  • A decrease in the demand for traditional education—schools, textbooks, and teachers— with declining numbers of children.
  • A decrease in the demand for housing—as well as a decrease in consumer durables to fill the housing—because of the decline in new household formation.
  • Consumer demand that is confined to replacement and new product upgrades, as opposed to an increase in product production that new consumers would require.
  • A decrease in the demand for automobiles.
  • Fewer new entrants to the labor force.
  • Lower economic productivity growth.
  • Drastic changes in social relations, particularly those concerning the family.

According to Harvard University International Economics Professor, Richard N. Cooper, if the birth rates in Italy were to continue for two generations, “almost 60 percent of that nation’s children would have no siblings, no cousins, no aunts or uncles; conversely, less than 5 percent of children would have both siblings and cousins. In short, the extended family (beyond grandparents and, increasingly, great-grandparents) would virtually disappear, and with it, its role in the socialization of new generations of youngsters.”

Fortunately, things look a little brighter in the United States than for Europe and Japan, in part because, “the birth rate (about 1.9 children per female) has not (yet) fallen so far, and because the country remains (along with Australia and Canada) open to extensive immigration,” states Cooper.

Grim, uh? In light of such news, having four darling babies doesn’t sound all that bad, now does it?

Looking for a very elite social club where you can enjoy life-long membership, perks, social events and jubilant holiday festivities without the hefty up front membership fee of $50,000 or more—although annual membership dues of about $8,500 a year are about on par—consider joining the ten percent moms club.

Go ahead! All you have to do is birth (or adopt) four or more children. More than likely they will love and care for you, and one another forever. You'll have the privilege of fulfilling God’s commission to be fruitful and multiply (smile), and you'll be seriously helping America’s struggling economy at the same time.

It just doesn’t get much better than that.

Copyright ©2007 by Anita S. Lane
Visit my online family magazine http://keepingfamilyfirst.org/
Check out my new book, http://lessonsmytoddlertaughtme.com/