“[W]hen we reach the end of our days, our life experience will equal what we have paid attention to, whether by choice or default.”
― Tim Wu, The Attention Merchants: The Epic Scramble to Get Inside Our Heads
Understanding the Declining U.S. Fertility Rate
A few days ago, data was released showing that the fertility rate in the United States – the number of babies born per 1,000 women of childbearing age – hit a record low in 2017, for the second year in a row. The fertility rate has been declining every year since 2008, and the 3% drop from 2016 to 2017 is the largest single-year decrease since 2010. The New York Times published an article about the phenomenon in Thursday’s paper with the headline “Fertility Rate Again Falls to a Record Low, Confounding Demographers.” It seems no one can figure out why women between the ages of 15 and 44 aren’t having as many kids as they once did. As a 33-year-old woman who conceived my first child in 2017, perhaps I can shed some light on the topic. Read more
Quote of the Week
“For me, being a mother made me a better professional, because coming home every night to my girls reminded me what I was working for. And being a professional made me a better mother, because by pursuing my dreams, I was modeling for my girls how to pursue their dreams.”
—Michelle Obama
Happy Mother’s Day! Let Me Introduce You to My Mom
Becoming a parent has given me many opportunities to reflect on my own childhood. As I interact with my baby, I imagine my own parents caring for me. I understand better than ever the sacrifices they made and the joys and worries they felt. So today, my first Mother’s Day as a mom, I pay homage to my own mom.
Quote of the Week
“I write because I don’t know what I think until I read what I say.”
— Flannery O’Connor
