I would like to thank this headline/byline combo for helping me set a record for the quickest "gross, pass" I& #39;ve ever uttered in my life. The funniest part is framing 25 like it& #39;s some daringly young age. The average age of first childbirth is 26.

If you want a take on this issue that is smart and isn& #39;t naked pandering to the fantasies of pathetic men, I recommend @JillFilipovic& #39;s newsletter. Unlike anything Bruenig writes, Jill actually respects women. https://jill.substack.com/p/the-great-birth-rate-freak-out?token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjoxMzMwMjg4LCJwb3N0X2lkIjozNjExODAwNywiXyI6IkRXd0RxIiwiaWF0IjoxNjIwMzk0OTAzLCJleHAiOjE2MjAzOTg1MDMsImlzcyI6InB1Yi05MzQ5Iiwic3ViIjoicG9zdC1yZWFjdGlvbiJ9.xMFDTQcw-IFcubog4EDrAYla0j6oWZpKAC3Wvlu7AnU">https://jill.substack.com/p/the-gre...

Every time I see Bruenig try to package her Schlafly-esque sexism as "leftism", I remember clearly one day when I was talking to some other kids in class about kids when I was 15 and I said I was never having kids. The teacher scoffed and said, "You& #39;ll change your mind."

Let& #39;s just say it& #39;s been more than 20 years and I haven& #39;t. Score: Essentialist ideas about female "nature", 0, realizing that women are the best judges of what they& #39;re actually thinking about themselves, 1.

Which isn& #39;t to say that everyone should have it all figured out at 15, 25, or any age. I certainly didn& #39;t. But I was the oldest of a close knit extended family and by 15, I had spent enough time around babies and toddlers to know it wasn& #39;t for me. And that& #39;s also okay!