The bright young man entering my office had something wonderful to say; he and his wife were expecting their first child.
I was not only his boss and a bit of a mentor, but someone who already had children, so he wanted to know what to expect. He admitted he was a bit apprehensive.
After I shared a few general, positive insights, he shrugged and said he guessed taking care of a baby wouldn’t be that hard. After all, he had a dog and had raised him from a tiny puppy to full-size Labrador – how much different would a baby be?
I smiled and told him he would discover many differences, especially when the child was around age two. But, frankly, I was appalled at the ridiculous comparison.
A dog is not a baby. A pet is not a child. And as the Holy Father has pointed out in recent days, raising children is a much higher calling.
I’m sure there are readers who wonder why it would cause controversy for the Pope to suggest people ought to put their time, effort and love into HUMAN families. But my experience with that young employee, comments from childless relatives and a scan of internet blogs attacking the Pope, well, prove there really are lots of folks who believe raising a cat is as noble as raising a child.
In fact, a little research via professor Google turned up some alarming data:
• 63 percent of American households have pets.
• 47 percent of American households have dogs.
• Fewer than 44 percent of American households have children.
• Only about 20 percent of American households have children and a mom and a dad.
Yes, there are some couples who can’t have children for medical reasons. Yes, there are some couples who had children but lost them to disease, accidents or war. Yes, there are some people who carry some dreaded genetic defect and have decided not to risk imparting it to the next generation. But this is a small percentage of those who don’t have children.
The Holy Father’s words are sobering in light of the numbers: “There are things that Jesus doesn’t like, such as married couples who don’t want children, who want to be without fruitfulness.”
Many folks these days seem to be questioning whether they can afford a child versus a big house, vacations, man toys or elegant clothes. But if someone is asking whether to have a child or a new car, they are asking the wrong question. They should be asking what material possession is worth more than a soul. There is a clear answer. The Pope doesn’t hate Fido; he loves the child.
