I understand it, but find it terribly unfortunate that people would, in a sense, put a price on parenthood to the point of avoiding having children for fear of going into debt. This is even more unfortunate, imho, if the decision is made in the context of an already existing loving Christian marriage.
We live in a society that values "stuff" and "wealth" and material "success" far more than other things and most of us who call ourselves Christians and try to live up to the ideal of Christ are infected with those "values" to a greater or lesser degree. ITSM that the greater the degree of our infection, the more difficult it becomes to order and structure our lives in a manner that doesn't involve debt and creates in us a fear of, amongst other things, bringing children into the world because of the economic impact it would have on us. In this country, whether we recognize it or not, many of us have the ability to choose to be more frugal, to live lives less focused on or dedicated to Mammon. Most, I think, choose not to do so, or to do so minimally. As poor as many are in this country (and more are becoming more so, I think), a great many of those who are poor by American standards are still far better off than 100's of millions of other people around the world who really have no "choice" BUT to be as frugal as possible. And yet, 100's of millions of others, for a variety of reasons and not just economics, STILL bring children into the world. I might add that this is probably done quite willingly, though I certainly have no proof of that other than the knowledge that most people beyond a certain age know that sexual intercourse often results in pregnancy and that most people engage in it quite willingly and voluntarily.
So, when someone says "I can't afford to have kids", especially if they're in a loving married relationship, I tend sometimes to be somewhat skeptical. The word "sacrifice" comes to mind. There's also a difference between "can't afford" and "won't afford".
