The main event here this week was the arrival of baby Casey Curt. His mom Melissa and dad Neil presented the little champ to the world right after he arrived on Tuesday.

Weighing in at about 7 and a half pounds, Casey looks like he’s going to hold his own in the ring! Just stand back and watch! Healthy, hungry, and – hopefully – happy to be featured on the fight card.

Coaching him from the corner is his new brother and sparring partner Wesley, who already knows his way around the canvas, and all the good moves. For now, it looks like, possibly, most of the fighting will be against outside contenders!

As their great grandmother, I will be cheering them on from the sidelines — but my immediate and heartfelt admiration and concern will be focused on their trainers – their parents. Raising children in our nation today requires a kind of struggle and heroism that we didn’t have to face in the years my husband Gene and I were raising our seven kids.

During our parenting years, our vocabulary didn’t include terms like opioids, cyberbullying, school shootings, pandemics, remote learning, social distancing, everyday wildfires, climate change, road rage, gender confusion, wingnuts, whitelash, catfishing, ghosting, or formula shortages, and we couldn’t even pronounce – let alone spell – words like hydroxychloroquine or hegemony.

It’s easy to understand why the birth rate is declining! In our country, it’s gone down a whopping 19 percent since 2007. Today – unless they’re rich enough to provide for themselves and their kids – both parents have to work to support and care for the family they want to have. The economic struggle parents face is mind-bending. It can’t be easy. I’m in awe of people like Melissa and Neil who find the strength and determination to do it.

I earnestly wish our country could find a way to help with providing support for good childcare. It must be tempting to consider moving to a country that can provide better support. According to the website nyshipping.com, the top ten countries that are considered the best places to raise a family are Sweden, Denmark, Australia, Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Switzerland, Germany, and Singapore.

As an example, the site describes Sweden’s support for parents:

Sweden has a strong social policy and is ranked first in childcare and overall cost of children. It is considered the best country to raise children. Parents are entitled to 480 days of paid parental leave, 60 of which are reserved for the father. The government also provides a monthly allowance to parents per child and gives adults the right to reduce their working hours until their children turn eight. Health care and college education are free, and its people boast one of the longest life expectancies in the world.

Unless moving to a new ring, young American parents today are waging the good fight on their own! Their struggle will be Olympian but the rewards will be golden! Compiled on the site meetfabric.com, here’s a few they can expect:

• Seeing Everything With a Fresh Pair of Eyes.
• The Insane Feeling of Love.
• The Constant Joy of Surprise.
• Living Up to My Kids’ High Regard.
• The Sound of My Baby’s Laugh.
• My Appreciation for My Own Parents.
• The Fragility and Value of New Life.
• The Shared Joy of Learning Together.
• Producing the Coolest, Most Amazing Person(s) You Could Imagine

Modern parenting is full of hazards, traps, hurdles, and sacrifice, but the rewards are enormous. You’re probably already aware of this, but the next time you’re watching a pair of young American parents at the supermarket checkout counter, you’ll know one thing for sure. The battlefield and the fight ring aren’t the only sites where heroes are found.

As for you, Wesley and Casey – live long and prosper! We’re counting on you!