Life by Faith
By Jim Hinch

June 2010

Life Without Children, Part 2
June 24, 2010
I wrote last week about recent changes in American life that seem to go against Americans’ understanding of themselves as a family-oriented society. Compared to other developed nations America’s divorce rate is high, its families are unstable and having children ranks low on couples’ list of things considered important for a happy marriage. Americans talk a lot about family values.
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Life Without Children
June 17, 2010
Americans like to think of their country as a family-centered society. Sadly, it isn’t. The numbers speak for themselves. More than half of all births to women under 30 occur outside marriage in America. More than 40 percent of unmarried cohabiting couples have children—but these relationships are five times more likely to break up than marriages, which themselves have nearly a 50 percent likelihood of ending in divorce. Asked recently whether children were important to having a successful marriage, only 40 percent of Americans said yes.
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Pay Attention
June 10, 2010
One of the saddest sights I see here in New York City takes place at the playground. A child calls to a parent, taps a knee, tugs a pant leg, begs. The parent stares at an iPhone. Finally, distractedly, the parent’s gaze lifts. “What, honey?”
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Jim Hinch is a senior editor at Guideposts. He lives with his wife, Kate, and their two children, Frances and Benjamin, in New York City. Reach him at jhinch@guideposts.org.