Multiply and Replenish and the Blessings that are sure to Follow

Yep, today I am going to be talking about babies! They are the best and the hardest thing that will happen to you. I have never felt more love for someone at first site before than the births of my children. I could not even have imagined how much love I could have for them before they were even born but I loved them from the second I found out that they were growing inside of me. 

Of course a big reason for why I decided to have children so early in my life, according to the world, was because of my upbringing in the LDS church. I was married at 19, had my first baby 2 months before I was 21 and my second 2 months before I turned 23. I now am just 25 and have a 2 year old and a 4 year old. Having children has put a lot of things on the back burner for me, first of all being school, but although things are a lot harder to do I am finishing those things I want to do to better myself for my children.

Having kids, especially earlier in life and our marriage, has made things difficult but at the same time we have seen so many blessings for following the commandment from God to multiply and replenish the earth. Some of the blessings I see on a day to day basis are daily lessons on patience, unconditional love, being able to witness the pure testimony of my children, and so much more.

There are also blessings that you can receive from children that not only benefit yourself but the world. Did you know that "by 2050, deaths will outnumber births and the earth will begin to see depopulation" (2012)? To sustain the population in the USA every couple needs to have 2.3 children. This will help sustain our country from starting to deplete. But the total fertility rate currently in the USA is 2.56 and has been consistently dropping from 4.92 since the 1950s.

How does this affect you? Well in a couple decades the elderly will be the greatest population and will have a lot more say than the other generations. They will have a lot of pull in politics when voting time comes and the likelihood of taxes being raised is much greater because there will be fewer in the working class than the elderly so the working class will have to work harder to help support their elders. These consequences to not following a commandment from God could be drastic and could change the world forever.

I urge you to rethink your thoughts on having children whether it is that you have decided to not have children at all or that you are waiting for the perfect time, because there will never be a perfect time things will always seem to be in the way. This is a serious commandment from God and it is necessary to one day become like him. If that is not reason enough than think about this "The first commandment he gave to Adam and Eve was to "be faithful, and multiply, and replenish the earth" (Genesis 1:28)" (2012). It was the very first commandment he gave so it must be an important one!

Resources:
Hawkins, Alan J. , Dollahite, David C. , Draper, Thomas W. (2012). Successful Marriages and Families: Proclamation Principles and Research Perspectives. Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University