Lately I have been thinking about how the American family has changed. It seems that the average family has incredible needs. A thirst for activity and connectivity that is totally foreign from how I grew up. What comes first, the needs of the family or the excess of a family’s fiscal value? Its funny how the poor American family life can include the children all having cell phones, X-Box game systems and of course, hi speed internet. Don’t get me wrong here, because I can’t live without hi speed internet! Maybe it doesn't matter which came first. Should the question be, where is all that money coming from?
Today's parents work their butts off to provide for the family. In fact, it is now common for both parents to be working at the same time to satisfy the needs of the house. The “dual income family” as its known. According to many websites that I have visited, and articles I’ve read on the subject, including one in the New York Times, four out of five households are dual income families. In fact, from what I understand, 71% of all American mothers who have children under the age of 18 are working. As parents, we all want to be good providers. However, in our haste to be great providers, who will be home with the kids? In a society of parents who do almost nothing but work, what will the new/ modern family be like? I hope the cell phones, X-Box games, and internet are worth it seeing as those things will be responsible for raising children. Maybe the children’s phones of the future will have some sort of “parental app” on them.
When I see this information, I see the end of an era. Soon there won’t be anyone at home for the kids. Day care will be a booming business, and a norm in how children will be raised. I’m not trying to be all doom and gloom here. I can't see the future, so who knows. All I can do is look at the information we have now. So then, who is raising our children?
According to the U.S. Census Bureau there are around 5.6 million stay at home dads. This number has been on the rise for decades. In fact, the number of stay at home dads has doubled since the mid nineteen nineties. In 2007 approximately 2.7% of the nation's stay at home parents were dads. In Canada the trend is so strong that the government has passed legislation providing benefits for fathers. I know that the number of stay at home dads are still small when compared to stay at home moms. However, The fact that the dads are staying home to me is a good trend. It shows that there are people out there who put child rearing first. In a world destined for the norm of the “dual income family”, it’s nice to see a growing trend of people who want to raise their children themselves.
The trend is uplifting and fascinating at the same time. See what ABC news has to say about it.
-Brother Jared
Jared, I am so proud of you...you linked in your post! :-) (I am not being sarcastic either...I know this is a leap for you!). You are right, but I think the modern era has been here for a long time. We are the rare ones out there. It might change once the government actually allows families to deduct a parent who decides to stay at home like you can deduct childcare costs. This frustrates me to no end. It is almost like we are being punished for putting our families first. I am just so glad I am married to a man that does put family first and doesn't have to have the newest toys or puts us into debt...yup, I did good! :-)
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