family

New Report Gives Update on Family Formation and Child Well-Being

In a new report, State of the Nation, 14 university-based and think tank scholars provide a look into how the United States is in relation to other leading countries around the world.

This study comes from a mix of conservative, moderate, and liberal contributors. The report examines 37 measures across 15 different categories. Topics like children & families, citizenship & democracy, mental health, life satisfaction, physical health, education and attitudes of trust in various social institutions.

The Daily Citizen will examine their measures on children and families.

In terms of family formation, they only look at children living in single-parent families. This is an important measure of child and societal well-being, but it is only one among others like marriage rates, divorce, out-of-wedlock births and cohabitation.

This report correctly admits that “growing up in a single-parent household is associated with a wide range of negative consequences during adolescence, including lower academic achievement, higher dropout rates, increased aggression in school, fewer social connections, risky behaviors (e.g., drug use), and a higher chance of teen pregnancy.”

They add, “When they become adults, these children tend to have lower incomes, higher rates of anxiety and depression, difficulty engaging in their own stable relationships (e.g., they have higher divorce rates), and increased rates of incarceration.”

This is a categorical denunciation of the “Love Makes a Family” propaganda of family-redefinition advocates. Married families where children are raised and loved by their own mother and father produce the strongest results in healthy child development.

This report finds that the rate of children living with a single parent has essentially remained stable overall from 1990 to the present, with numerous up and down rises and dips as shown here.

These scholars “saw rising rates of single-parent childhood in the 1990s” which “stayed at this level until the mid-2010s.” They continue, “This has been followed by a decline of three percentage points that offset the initial rise. For that reason, we now stand at almost exactly the same level as 1990.”

This report claims that the three countries in their global survey that have higher rates of single-parent families than the U.S. are Lithuania, Belgium, and France. This conflicts with a 2019 Pew Research Center report which states that out of 130 countries and territories, “The U.S. has the world’s highest rate of children living in single-parent households.”

This seeming conflict could be because of the three – percentage point decline this current report mentions, which might not have been reflected in Pew’s data. But Pew did examine the years 2010 through 2018.

This report also found that child mortality has been improving in the United States. Globally, child mortality has been almost halved since 1990. These scholars assert the “recent decline in US child mortality is almost entirely due to a decline in motor vehicle accident deaths.” They note, “The decline in mortality is also happening despite the rise in low birth weight, which increases child mortality.”

Low birth weight babies have been increasing slightly since the 1990s in the United States. Yet, it is still at a low level. These scholars offer an explanation for the increase:

Some of the rise in low birth weight is driven by the rising age at which women are having children. Also, the rising use of assisted reproduction (e.g., in vitro fertilization, IVF) leads to a greater prevalence of multi-child births where each baby generally has a lower birth weight.

They also state that mother’s obesity, malnutrition, sexually transmitted diseases, stress and substance abuse can contribute to low birth weights.

These scholars also report that youth depression is worsening. They state, “The US ranks second-to-last in the world of 112 higher-income countries – just behind Greece, Spain, and Portugal – and we have been falling further and further behind.”

Other sources have been reporting the same alarming youth depression trend. In April 2022, The Atlantic featured a major piece documenting increasing feelings of persistent sadness and depression among America’s youth. They show the trends this way.

Note that so-called “LGBT” youth have the highest levels of sadness and hopelessness. This trendline is sharply increasing at the very time our nation, and the rest of the developed world, is telling such children they have everything to celebrate in being sexually and gender divergent.

This State of the Nation report correctly recognizes that “the time that parents and other family members spend with their children shape children’s values, knowledge, skills, habits, beliefs, and emotional well-being.”

They conclude, “In the long run, no country can be more successful than its children.”

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Why Marriage Really Matters – 3 Focus on the Family Reports

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J.D. and Usha Vance Parent on National Stage

Yesterday, newly-inaugurated Vice President J.D. Vance and his wife, Usha, gracefully faced what many parents might understandably consider a DEFCON-1, red-alert situation:

Wrangling three young, tired children at a prestigious, nationally televised event while sitting next to the President of the United States.

I’m not a parent, and I’m pretty sure even I’ve had that nightmare.

The young family arrived at the National Parade yesterday dressed to the nines, with Vance carrying three-year-old Mirabel and Usha preventing 7- and 4-year-old Ewan and Vivek from tumbling headfirst down the Capital One Arena steps.

The couple spent the next half an hour or more holding, blocking, sitting with and shuffling their children around their seats. There was bouncing, standing on chairs, lolling in uncontrolled boredom, and, of course, conversations with President Trump. Thumbs were sucked. Teddy bears were almost dropped into the parade.

You can watch some of the hilarity here:

There’s something refreshing about prominent parents being unashamed about being, well, a family.

Children are undeniable, joyful blessings. They are also frequently inconvenient. They can be messy, hyper, stubborn and fussy. They get tired easily. They don’t tend to enjoy sitting down for long periods of time.

The Vances included their children in a life-changing event when many might have deemed them too inconvenient to bring along. In doing so, J.D. and Usha demonstrated that they consider themselves, first and foremost, parents.

Parenting, at its core, is a constant, selfless pursuit. It requires parents to deprioritize their own interests — and sometimes, sanity — in favor of caring for and guiding the little blessings they’ve been trusted with.

And there are no days off.

The constancy of parenting has been minimized in American culture. Too many new parents feel like it’s too much to ask. Restless kids are plopped in front of screens so parents can “take a break.” Teaching kids how to behave is increasingly farmed out to schools and daycares, which some argue should be free.

The Vances clearly do not subscribe to this view. They didn’t take time off from parenting to make their own experience less stressful. Perhaps they understand that celebrating and spending time with their children is more rewarding than looking perfect for the cameras.

That’s a powerful illustration of godly parenting and familial commitment — one I hope many families will find affirming and uplifting.

Son Discovers Birth Mom After Years of Friendship

Vamarr Hunter visited his local bakery every week for more than ten years before discovering a lifechanging secret — the owner he had come to know and love was none other than his biological mom.

“You can’t tell this story without thanking God,” Hunter told The Today Show’s Laura Jarett, “because I was just led the entire way.”

The father of four spent 13 years searching for his birth mom before seeking a genealogist’s help in 2022.

That’s how Lenore Lindsey, the founder of Give Me Some Sugah, ended up with his number.

South Chicagoans flock to Give Me Some Sugah for comfort, community and baked goods. Lindsey looks out for regulars like Hunter, and the two formed a friendship over his favorites — lemon bars and pancakes.

But when Lindsey received her long-lost son’s phone number, she didn’t know Hunter was on the other end. The 67-year-old spent most of her life remembering the baby she gave up for adoption with a lingering sense of shame.

“Every time I think about how I disappointed my parents, that’s just very overwhelming for me,” she confessed about her teenage pregnancy. “All I could think about [when I got pregnant] was how I could make this better for my parents and just kind of go on.”

When Lindsey summoned the nerve to dial the number on the bakery’s phone, Hunter answered: “Ms. Lenore? I didn’t order anything.”

The conversation that followed involved “a lot of screaming,” the two recalled, sitting side-by-side. “A lot of, ‘Oh, my God!’”

In hindsight, Lindsey says, she sees how much they are alike. When he first visited her bakery, she remembered noticing how much Hunter’s laugh sounded like her brother’s.

The sweet story could have ended. But, As Psalm 23 tells us, God often blesses us with more than we need, filling our cups to overflowing.

When Hunter and Lindsey learned about their connection, Lindsey was recovering from breast cancer surgery. Soon after, she had a stroke and could no longer keep up with the store.

So, Hunter spent nights learning to bake. When Lindsey deemed him proficient, he quit his job to run the store full time. Now, the two run the shop side by side.

“I couldn’t just sell it to anybody or have anybody coming in,” Lindsey reflected. “They had to feel it. They had to feel the people. [Hunter] loves it like I love it. That’s huge for me.”

She jokes that it doesn’t hurt Hunter’s cakes are better than hers.

Hunter says God has used his experience to open people’s hearts to Him.

People that I don’t necessarily imagine were very spiritual before, they have been coming [and saying] ‘Man, that’s God.’” Hunter told Jarret. “They have an awakening of their own faith.”

While Hunter and Lindsey shared their story with Today Show cameras, careful viewers might notice the open Bible on a stand in the shop’s corner. Underneath stands a plaque emblazoned with Numbers 6:24-26 (KJV) — a perfect description of the generous way God redeemed this once painful situation.

The Lord bless and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.

Amen.

Full House: Arizona Fire Department Welcomes 19 Babies in 2024

An Arizona fire department’s ranks grew by nearly 10% last year after firefighters welcomed 19 babies into the world.

“There’s just something in the water in Chandler, [Arizona],” new dad Jack Bernard told local news, holding his seventh-month-old daughter, Jersey.

Jersey is one of thirteen girls and six boys born to the Chandler Fire Department in 2024. Veteran firefighter Penni Cyrus’ son, Kade, leads the pack at 11 months old. The youngest is only three weeks. One lucky family welcomed twin boys.

 “[We’re] bringing more firefighters into the world,” Cyrus joked.

The Department managed to gather all but three of the growing families for a New Year’s photoshoot last week.

Battalion Chief Bias Minor believes they will keep the pictures for years to come.

“I think it’s going to be something special the kids and parents are going to cherish for the rest of their lives,” Minor said in a social media post.

Donaldo Lopez and his wife were particularly excited to welcome Dorothy, their fifth child, into the world last year.

“This is my second rainbow baby,” Lopez explained, referring to a baby born after a family loses a pre-born child. “So it’s a big deal for my wife and I.”

The 18-year Chandler veteran makes no bones about it — his marriage makes parenting possible.

“The most important thing about being a parent is having a good partner,” Lopez told news crews. “Lucky for me, she doesn’t like sleeping, I guess — so we just kept having kids!”

God created humans to live in relationship with one another and create new life. This design is no more evident than in the videos of Chandler firefighters taking time to show off their families.

You just can’t help but crack a smile.

Big Families Have More Fun

It was like a scene straight out of Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life.

On a cold Christmas Eve afternoon, as snowflakes began to swirl in the air, I made my way across our suburban Long Island street and up onto the front porch of our neighbor’s large green house. My father had sent me to deliver one of his pumpkin breads, his traditional holiday gift to family friends.

The McKees were our neighbors my entire childhood. With 8 children, there was always something interesting going on at their place. Christmas was certainly no exception. It was the family’s tradition to buy their tree on December 24 – something of a money-saving tactic they had parlayed into a fun and memorable occasion.

The children would make their way to a tree stand a block away in the parking lot of Nunley’s, a neighborhood amusement park. Nunley’s featured, among other rides, an ornate 1912 carousel. The tree stand outside the tall, white pavilion was like the one in your hometown: white lights dangling from poles, a fire roaring in a metal drum to keep the proprietor and customers warm, and what seemed like hundreds of trees to choose from.

After making their selection, the McKee kids would then carry the tree home together, singing Christmas carols as they walked. I happened to be on the front porch that one year as they arrived with it as the snow fell. They were laughing and cutting up as they came up the path.

Following them into the house, the mood was festive. Mrs. McKee had been awaiting their arrival. Mr. McKee had died years earlier, a tragic blow they had managed to weather, something they attributed to God’s grace. There was a fire roaring in the fireplace, and fresh cookies straight out of the oven.

As the youngest of five children, I was no stranger to large and happy families, but the scene has stuck with me my whole life. There was joy in that room, delight drawn from love and family and a shared sense of brothers and sisters being committed to one another. They weren’t just siblings, but also friends.

The population bust is the existential threat facing the world, and especially America. Most people are ignoring it altogether, and if it is mentioned, it’s often framed in cold, sterile, sociological terms and statistics. We read about fertility and replacement rates. We hear about demographics and economics.

All of these layers are important components of the issue. They’re pieces of a complex puzzle.

But it’s a huge miss if we don’t also stress and highlight the sheer fun and joy of big families.

All too often we hear about the high financial costs of raising children. We’re browbeaten with the supposed mental and emotional strains kids put on moms and dads.

Instead, as Christians, we should be focusing on images like the McKee’s living room on Christmas Eve. We should be talking about a house bursting with family on Thanksgiving, siblings arguing over who’s going to sit at the children’s table.

Then there are the summer camping trips, the backyard barbeque on the Fourth of July, touch football games, and taking up an entire pew at church. There are birthdays and anniversaries. Then there are the ordinary days where nothing exciting might seem to happen – but where bonds are established, and friendships are forged.

Big families teach patience – like having to wait your turn to use the bathroom. They train you to share what you have and be grateful for what you receive. Large families remind you the world doesn’t revolve around you and your whims. You learn how to compromise and how to forgive.

With a large family, you almost always have someone to play with when you’re young – and someone to confide in when you grow up. They bless you with memories that will last a lifetime – and hopefully sow the seed that you’ll want to pray for a big family when it’s time to have your own.

As Christians, we should be the most vocal and most effective promoters of God’s gift of marriage and children – and we do that by modeling the blessings of a happy and fun family.

Image credit: RKO Radio Pictures