Dear DC: Kids Aren't Just for the Rich

All of us, rich or poor, got here because our parents had children—yet these days, having kids is seen as a luxury to be enjoyed by the wealthy only, writes Kelly Diels on Salon. Celebrities are touted for wanting big broods, and rich people seem to parade their children around as status symbols, but when it comes to actually helping non-rich parents, we act as though people who can't afford children simply shouldn't have them. "The country, some legislators and pundits and citizens will argue, certainly can’t afford and shouldn’t have to pay for social programs and policies that support parents and families."

"We don’t talk about having children as though having them and raising them is a predictable fact of life at every income level and for every ethnicity, everywhere in the world; we talk about it—and legislate around it—as though kids are, or should be, a privilege of the privileged," Diels continues. Having children is expensive; we need to realize that most children not born to celebrities or Wall Street bankers will need more resources than their parents can provide. That means America should start thinking about national, paid maternity leave, publicly funded childcare, and universal health insurance. After all, we claim to be all about family values; let's walk the walk. Click for Diels' full column. (More parents stories.)