Surprise! Americans want more kids



When I told colleagues at the University of Colorado that I had nine children, they looked at me like I was crazy. Their responses ranged from, “You’re kidding, right?” to “You realize you’re a threat to the planet?” and even, “When did you first realize you were mentally ill?”

I suppose this is the typical reaction from secular skeptics. When I started teaching at Colorado Christian University, I proudly shared the joys of being a father of nine. I told my students how blessed I felt and encouraged them to consider marriage and family as one of life's greatest gifts. I often challenged them, saying, “Get out there and raise little warriors for Jesus.” Understandably, this stance caused some controversy, but social science research supports my view: family life is a key indicator of happiness and longevity.

Though I’ve since retired from university teaching, I was recently driving with a former colleague who made an interesting observation. He said, “You were five years ahead of the curve. More young women at our school are now interested in getting married and raising families—they want to be trad wives.” For clarity, a “trad wife” is a traditional woman who stays at home with her children and manages the household.

The culture within families is one of the most influential drivers of social change in America. In the coming generations, a larger percentage of children will grow up in homes with a father as provider and a traditional mother. Don’t underestimate the impact this will have—family life operates at the grassroots level, not through government mandates or media influence. It’s shaped by millions of individual decisions made quietly within homes across the country.

My advice to college students has always been to build their lives around their family plans. Choose a major that supports a future family. Select a location to live where homeownership is achievable.

I was intrigued by a recent Gallup poll indicating that the average American desires a larger family. The survey revealed that 45% of Americans believe three or more children constitute an ideal family size—the highest percentage in 50 years, up from 33% twenty years ago. That's nearly half of the population wanting more than two children. It’s a remarkable shift. While many articles highlight women delaying or forgoing marriage and children, these remain the minority. Most peers still want children—and many want more than would be expected.

Gallup also reported that 16% of Americans want more than three children, compared to only 2% who prefer no children—surprising considering the number of women who end up childless. Among those desiring fewer than three kids, most prefer two, with three or more being the favored choice over fewer.

From my research, one clear pattern emerges: people who are pro-family and have large families tend to be religious, mostly Christians. Catherine Pakaluk, in her book Hannah’s Children, studied 57 large families and found that 56 were “religious.” Therefore, a crucial step toward having a larger family is to embrace Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

This isn’t about giving women more incentives to have children; it’s about acknowledging that the desire is already there. Society and politics should foster a culture that is more supportive of children.

If American women could have as many children as they wish, we would far surpass the replacement rate. As Peachy Keenan, a witty writer on Substack, recently said, “You want to make America great again? Make more Americans.” She’s right—healthy pro-family attitudes are essential for a promising future.

Our God commanded us in the first few pages of the Bible to multiply and replenish the earth. We need to obey Him. Millions of American families want more children. That’s one instinct you should follow. The Lord will bless you if you do.

More: The Blessings of a Large Family; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rmq8_LEBps

The Institute for Family Studies on the Gallup poll:

https://ifstudies.org/blog/americans-desire-for-large-families-hits-50-year-high

Peachy Keenan: https://www.peachykeenan.com/p/want-to-make-america-great-make-more

Is more babies a right-wing thing? https://www.thefp.com/p/how-did-having-babies-become-right?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

“It was basically inevitable that natalism would be seen as right-wing,” said father-of-four Bryan Caplan, the author of Selfish Reasons to Have More Kids and a speaker at this year’s NatalCon. Why? “Because it’s disagreeing with two left-wing things”—environmentalism, which, in its dominant form, posits that the population is too high already, and feminism. “By being a natalist you are, in effect, raising the status of traditional women and saying, at minimum: If there’s a trade-off between being maximally successful in your job and being a mom, it’s not clear that you should go with maximum success in your career.”