Reports from the last several decades show that women are having fewer children than ever before. This trend has caused the birth rate in many developed nations to fall well below the natural replacement rate, and it continues to plummet to levels that sociologists in decades past would never have predicted.

What comes next is anyone’s guess. Intuitions seem to align with what experts are now suggesting—a shrinking population could bring costs that many of us haven’t considered.

Separate from the economic implications, I find it sad and strange when considering this change in the broad view of human history. We spent thousands of years raising ourselves out of a subsistence lifestyle, striving to achieve the kind of wealth that would provide us with safety, leisure, longer lifespans, and more protection from many tragedies.

And just as we enter an age of abundance, where so many people around the world have access to this kind of wealth, we start calling it quits on the great human project. We stop investing in the future in the way that matters most.

Life–Pass It On

If you’re alive today, enjoy your life, and appreciate being part of human society—then you may want to consider what role you can or should play in passing that gift on to another generation. I understand that not everyone will choose to raise children or even cares about the future of the earth after they are gone. However, it is noteworthy that so many people now think it’s not worth having any children or choose a much smaller family over a large one. At the current margins, I'd like to encourage more of us to take a pro-child stance.

Simply by changing the narrative and cultural norms around children, I think we can begin to nudge things back toward a growing appreciation for having kids. The more people who choose this path, the more accepted it becomes, and the more others will consider the possibility.

You don’t even have to have children yourself to participate in this cultural shift. Here are some speculative ideas about how we might all play a part in encouraging a culture that values and supports fertility.

5 Tips on the Encouragement for Children

1. Openly Praise the Idea of Having Children

One of the most important things in support of growing families is to change how you talk about parenting and those who choose to have more kids. These individuals should be praised for their good and hard work. We should actively seek to raise the status of all good parents, making it a collective goal.

2. Become More Involved in the Lives of Children You Know

Every good parent I know wishes for their children to have more positive adult influences. You can do this for the children in your life. It’s as simple as making yourself a part of their lives, caring about their interests, and offering to spend time together as appropriate. Parents of young children are always appreciative of trusted adults who can provide a needed break.

3. Volunteer at Kid-Friendly Activities and Events

I know from experience that parenting young children can be an exhausting endeavor. I appreciate when various organizations and clubs provide outlets for other adults to supervise, coach, and spend time with my children in a significant way. Your contribution could be anything from coaching a baseball team to teaching a Sunday school class or volunteering to read stories at the library. All these structured activities make the world an easier place to raise children.

4. Invite Families to Bring Their Kids and Plan Accordingly

If you have any leadership roles at work or within your community, consider proactively inviting children to participate when and where it makes sense. One of the hardest things about being a parent of a large family is finding ways to get out of the house and socialize where kids are welcome. That means creating an environment where being a little louder and a little messier is not a problem.

5. Preach the Value of a Meaningful Life Over an Easy One

A Personal Note

I think the decline of organized religion has left a void in society that has been filled with a combination of aspirations to achieve more and a desire to maximize one’s leisure time. These aren’t inherently wrong, but their growth has perhaps edged out other values, including the desire to create a meaningful life through the creation of a large family and a happy home. Few people today are persuasively preaching these values, and I would love to see more people making the case.

I'd like to end on a personal note by sharing that my wife and I are raising four young children of our own. It has been one of the grandest adventures of my life and also one of the hardest things I’ve done. Fundamentally, one of the best things you can do to encourage others to have children is to have more children yourself and to be a living example that it’s possible and that your life can still be a good one—full of all sorts of things that make life meaningful and enjoyable.

If you can, I would encourage you to consider the same. But if not, exploring the options I’ve written about above is still an important and effective way to shape our society in the direction we want to go. If you hold these values too, I encourage you to put them into action.