That was true in the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s and some of 2k...No so much now.
Ya see in today's America, for Americans, it takes a whole lot of money to have babies, pay for medical costs, raise families, buy homes, get loans, education, insurance, repairs, sky high utilities, food has doubled etc. etc...etc...and on and on...
It takes long term secure jobs, good medical benefits to do what was once considered normal in American life, when we had a world class country and economy with an ever increasing standard of living with lots of jobs/careers and great opportunities.
Ya know what it cost to have one baby delivered without good insurance benefits? Way more money than I have.
For the most part, that aint happening for most young folks...This is no secret.
On the other hand illegals aliens by the tens of millions have literately choked off our health care system, hospitals, social services, jails, schools, etc.,....All on the backs of the tax payers...
Meanwhile most of those younger American folks are lucky to even have a part time job...They won't be living like our parents did...
This isn't your parents America.
For the majority, it's just not happening for them...
What you describe is endemic to all western nations, especially in Europe, and according to Pope Francis “The most serious evils are youth unemployment and the loneliness of the old.” I myself see thousands of good paying US IT jobs being sucked out to India and stagnating my own pay while the people in charge of companies doing the outsourcing are laughing all the way to the bank with big fat raises for CEOs and other C-Level executives every year. It is very hard to find a good job with benefits. It seems you have to get either really low pay with good benefits or good pay with no benefits these days. So, I totally understand what you are saying. It is truly hard to stay motivated in this economy when it seems we are going nowhere. I have helped build schools in Mexico and travelled to Guatemala where an exchange student who stayed with us in college (through a US Aid program) AND is still living there after graduation, and I know what conditions those people live in and don’t blame them for thinking about breaking our immigration laws. It is our job to make sure that our politicians know through correspondence that we want our laws are enforced or we will vote for anyone else. Besides prayer, that is all we can do. Furthermore, I believe that the high cost of raising a child still indicates a culture with a materialistic heart and that is the impetus behind allowing all forms of abortion and contraception. Until someone finds a way to more equitably manage the way that we interface with world economy that we are all a part of now and mitigate the dual impacts of outsourcing/immigration and automation, we have to somehow do more with less until things turn around and I am the first one trying to figure out how exactly to do that.
I would tend to agree with you except for the fact that yesterday I saw an unmarried 22 yo lady who just had her fourth child. I've known her for four years. Each year she pops out a child. She's an American citizen. On welfare, and milking the system as much as she can. oh, and she's so very good at it. She learned it from her mom who two years ago had her eighth child. Did I mention that they have dogs also? Great Danes. I might as well mention the cats. They also know how to get the most out of all the food banks in the nearby towns. I looked at her yesterday,disgusted,knowing my taxes are supporting her... and I'm broke.
Meanwhile, a friend's son nearly went broke with the birth of his first child and he has a Union job.
America is F'ek up.