One reason so few Americans are having children is we’re convinced that raising them will bankrupt us. Too many parents think their kids need not only food, shelter, and love, but the best of every product in order to thrive.  

One mom wrote in The Atlantic that choosing a stroller or crib or toys now feels like “a measure of your value as a parent and your child’s future success.” Social media makes it worse, guilting parents for not getting top-of-the-line supplies and equating “certain kinds of consumption with responsible parenting.”  

Writing in First Things, Kevin DeYoung named this trend “kindergarchy.” He continued: often the best parents “dare to give their children more by giving them less.” 

Amazon doesn’t sell what kids need most: our love, our time, and our commitment to raising them in the Lord and teaching them what’s true. Give these gifts, and it won’t matter how much you spend on a stroller.