As King Solomon realized, the truest essence of parenthood is the willingness to put one’s own needs, wishes and prerogatives aside in service to the happiness and welfare of a child. The downside to the “brave new world” approach to procreation is the easy discounting of this truth both by those blinded by their own desires and those eager to erode the traditional family structure that has served children, the United States, and Western culture itself remarkably well.
These days, expectant mothers are deluged with advice about child safety, breast-feeding, nutrition and a whole panoply of information designed to give their babies “the best start” possible. Wouldn’t it be even better if there were a formal social consensus that, in the overwhelming majority of cases, “the best start” for any child is in a home with loving parents whose union is cemented by the bond of marriage?
Carol Platt Liebau
Carol Platt Liebau is an attorney, political commentator and guest radio talk show host based near New York. Learn more about her new book, "Prude: How the Sex-Obsessed Culture Hurts Young Women (and America, Too!)"
here.