Think Biblically: Conversations on Faith & Culture Family Unfriendly (with Tim Carney)
More Time, Less Happy Kids
- Parents spend more time with kids but children are less happy and healthy than before.
- Over-scheduling and pressure might be harming children more than helping them.
Pronatalism's Many Faces
- Pronatalism supports having more children but varies in means and philosophy.
- Some pronatalism promotes traditional families, others promote technology like IVF or artificial wombs.
Why 'Having Lower Ambitions' for Your Kids Actually Helps Them Thrive
Focus on teaching your kids life lessons through manageable ambitions rather than chasing prestigious outcomes like Ivy League admissions or Division 1 sports scholarships. Tim Carney shares he wants his son to experience growth in music and sports by learning concentration, persistence, and teamwork—not necessarily being the best performer. He highlights the danger in overly pressuring kids with ambitions tied to external success, which can harm their self-worth, especially when they inevitably face failure.
Carney emphasizes that encouraging kids to participate in less competitive leagues helps them enjoy activities, feel valued, and learn resilience. He states, "The children say, well, it really matters to my parents that my grades are great and that I do really well at sports. So that must be what my value is as a human being." Parents should aim to build character through fun, teamwork, and perseverance rather than high-stakes achievement.
