From: "Gary Britt" 

I think its more than just industrialization, especially industrialization
in places away from the farms.  Industrialization of the farming process
and development of better producing seed, fertilizers, and machinery that
required less labor on the farm contributed to children leaving the farm.
There is also the problem of the cumulative effects of
"liberal/progressive" changes to life and cultural values, that
had the unintended consequence of promoting the "me first I should
have it all" attitude in many adults, fewer children per household,
delays in starting reproduction, abortion used as a means of and substitute
for responsible birth control practices, and the cultural/societal
devaluation of children and motherhood.

Gary

"Gary Wiltshire"  wrote in message
news:op.s55bala4eipai0{at}dsl40.bgtnvtpl.sover.net...
> On Thu, 09 Mar 2006 06:12:39 -0500, Geo  wrote:
>
> > "Gary Wiltshire"  wrote in message
> > news:op.s53z93gyeipai0{at}dsl40.bgtnvtpl.sover.net...
> >
> >> Except that industrialization, which has turned children from assets
> >> into
> >> liabilities, is a last century, not last millenium, issue.  Humanity
> >> will
> >> indeed face a population crisis, but not the sort Malthus, etc., have
> >> always predicted.
> >
> > It's not industrialization that made that change, it's the loss of
family
> > living. If your kids stay living at home after say age 18, the extra
> > income
> > can turn a home from a 100K per year dwelling into a 300 or 400K per
year
> > dwelling. People don't realize how fast you can pay off a mortgage with
> > grown kids living at home.
> >
> > Geo. (5 year olds were never much help on a farm)
> >
> >
>
> Industrialization made it more likely that the children will scatter to
> the four winds.
>
> The 5 year old became a productive member of the farm in not to many
years.
>
> --
> Gary Wiltshire

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