Maturing takes centuries. The lifelong process of learning means that we barely get started before we grow geriatric. Unless we take drastic measures to disrupt the natural ignorance of our inborn sin, our skin will shrivel and fall off before we ever grow up.
There’s more to understanding babies than simply having them. During normal child-bearing years, we still aren’t ready to raise children. No parent can ever be perfect. Don’t wait to become perfect, don’t hold it against your parents for not being, and never, under any circumstances, allow yourself to think that you’re perfect merely for becoming a parent. While no parent is “perfect”, we can each be “ideal” by inviting others to help us along the way.
Raising children together as family helps to instill a strong work ethic and respect across generations. For millennia many Eastern cultures, from the Mediterranean through the Far East, had three generations under one roof—the grandparents raising the children while mom and dad ran the family business. In Vietnam, it’s not uncommon to become a grandparent at only 35 years old. These societies flourish because they master the art of “imperfectly ideal” parenting. Simply put, the “perfectly ideal” parents know they are not perfect and therefore welcome help.
The more children we have, the more we all learn. God created both humanity and Earth; only Satan needs a population small enough to centrally plan. If every population on Earth flourished as God commanded, we’d have more scientists and thus might have already developed the technology to colonize Mars a century ago.
Every society relies on a growing birthrate in order to survive. Over-fascination with entertainment and surrender to immorality will plunge a population into nothingness, being overwhelmed by societies that have many children. Growth and strength in family are in direct conflict with entertainment and immorality. As imperfect as everyone of us is, it helps to have fewer problems, not more. Whatever your household situation is, seek to have more help and fewer distractions.
Even fifty years old is too young to raise a family—if we try on our own. Drop the delusion of household “independence”, welcome help, then families will flourish much easier.