Quote:
Originally Posted by UtahDan
By the way, I believe that this is a cultural emphasis rather than a doctrinal one. I certainly know that there are many who have undergone tremendous hardship because they have reproduced early and often before they were out of school, though of course they wouldn't ever trade their kids. Perhaps the payoff is that they are out of the house sooner and you get to enjoy your time alone with your spouse before you are too old to do some of the things that age makes more difficult.
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I have long felt that the agrarian culture that early LDS culture was centered around is a big part of this. Arrington's doctrinal thesis was an analysis of the Magic Valley sugarbeet industry and he documented how the LDS famalies cornered the market little by little as they continued having large famalies while the non-LDS farmers famalies better reflected the declining national averages. This was in the first half of the 20th century. Before roundup resistant sugarbeets, raising sugarbeets was very labor intensive as the fields must be hoed weekly to rid them of unwanted weeds that compete with the sugarbeets for water. Large famalies provide a great deal of free labor.
I also think that those who marry early and have a large litter while still struggling through schooling learn a great deal about sacrifice and teamwork. It wasn't the route I went and I would not recommend it to my children as it invites a great deal of stress and pressure that young marriages often don't need, but to those couples who face the challenge head on I think it emboldens and deepens the marital relationship. Overcoming such challenges together creates a deeper unity that benefits the individual partners, the relationship and the entire family. Part of me thinks that given the longstanding belief in LDS culture that hard work and intense challenges is good for individuals and develops faith, by forcing you to seek divine help with your challenges, is what motivates those leaders who have encouraged this approach as the LDS blueprint.