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‘Thrown into adulthood without a map’: Americans share why they live paycheck to paycheck

“Lord help you if you don’t have dental insurance and need root canals.”

By

Tod Perry

broke, bills, paycheck to paycheck, scared woman, finances, american life
A woman and her husband doing their bills. – Photo credit: via Canva/Photos

It’s a little tricky to determine how many Americans live paycheck to paycheck because the term is vague. Some people, who have plenty of money in savings, say they live paycheck to paycheck because they spend all of their money before their next check arrives. However, they make ample contributions to their savings accounts and are in good financial shape. Others genuinely spend every dime they make and have very little savings to deal with an emergency.

How many Americans live paycheck to paycheck?

The Federal Reserve found that 54% of Americans have emergency savings to cover three months of expenses, and Bankrate found that, while 59% of Americans are uncomfortable with their level of emergency savings, 34% are living paycheck to paycheck. According to CNN, the paycheck-to-paycheck problem isn’t getting any better. The drastic increase in the cost of living since the pandemic has a growing number of people living paycheck to paycheck.

A Reddit user recently tried to understand why so many people in the wealthiest country on Earth are financially stretched thin.

broke, bills, paycheck to paycheck, scared woman, finances, american life
A couple who needs financial help. u200bvia Canva/Photos

Why are Americans living paycheck to paycheck?

“At first glance, it seems obvious: people just don’t make enough money, right? But the more I read and the more conversations I had, the more I realized that income is only one piece of a much bigger puzzle,” they wrote. “For a lot of Americans, the real issue is a mix of rising living costs, debt, and—most importantly—a lack of financial education. Most of us aren’t taught how to manage money. We don’t learn how to budget, save, plan for emergencies, or even think long term. Schools rarely touch on it, and if our families didn’t model strong financial habits, we’re basically thrown into adulthood without a map. So people just figure it out as they go — often by trial and error. And when that ‘error’ is maxing out a credit card or missing rent, the consequences are heavy.”

Over 1,100 people shared why they’ve lived paycheck to paycheck. It’s sad to see so many people struggling, but it paints a clear picture of a complex problem. We collected 13 of the best responses to the question: “What is the main cause of Americans living paycheck to paycheck?”

13 reasons why Americans are living paycheck to paycheck

1. One emergency to the next

“Bills. Lord help you if you don’t have dental insurance and need root canals. Which will always be followed by car repairs or home maintenance. There goes the emergency savings account.”

“THIS !!! I was just starting to feel good! Caught up on bills, saving for emergencies, finally contributing to my retirement then a random light flashes on my Car dashboard. There goes all the emergency money I built up ………sigh it’s just always something.”

2. Scarcity mindset

“For me it is largely scarcity mindset from a childhood of poverty. I learned that money doesn’t stick around. If you have $100 then you need to spend it on what it needs to go to or something else will ‘eat it.’ Some fee, or unexpected cost will always be around the corner, and there is never enough money to do everything, so spending us constantly triage.”

“This is 100% the difference in the mindset of poor people and rich people. Poor people think of money as just something to spend. Rich people think of it as something to accumulate and put to work for themselves.”

broke, bills, paycheck to paycheck, scared woman, finances, american life
A couple looking at bills/ via Canva/Photos

3. The system sets people up

“The overall system sets people up for becoming interest and profit generators for wealth holders of all kinds. The power is completely lopsided, and the rules are set up to deliberately turn customers into cash machines. Regular folks aren’t equipped to protect themselves from it, thanks to taboos around talking openly about money and finances as well as the finance industry’s slick bait, hook, and land tactics.”

4. Car payments

“Sooo many people buying waaaaay too much car. Everyone needs a huge luxury SUV for their three-person family, apparently. Or a giant truck because they’re towing once a year. What makes it even worse is that those more expensive cars have more expensive maintenance and repairs and tires and gas bills. You also see people do this with houses. So many posts from people trying to justify buying a much larger house than they need and trying to make the financials with. ‘How much house can I afford?’ instead of ‘how much house do it really need?’”

5. The rent is too high

“Rent has gone thru the roof and in order to get approved to live anywhere or buy your own home, you need to make 3x the rent. The grocery list that would cost you $50 5 years ago now costs you $100. God forbid you have a medical problem.”

“I was going to say it’s primarily rent and groceries for a lot of folks. Rent is really high a lot of places for pretty basic dwellings.”

broke, bills, paycheck to paycheck, scared woman, finances, american life
A woman who has run out of money. u200bvia Canva/Photos

6. Paycheck to paycheck is a broad term

“Because there is no standard definition of paycheck to paycheck. A lot of people who live ‘paycheck to paycheck’ have a ton of deductions for things like 401k and IRA along with spending on non essentials like expensive car payments, private schools, etc.”

“This is a good point. I considered myself ‘paycheck to paycheck’ because (and I’m working on changing this) I literally get my account to 0 before each paycheck. Yes, that’s after 401k, savings, paying off debt, and other luxuries like getting my nails done and steaming services. But you make a good point that if I locked in and cut all “extra” I would not be paycheck to paycheck in the slightest. Compared to growing up where when my mom paid most of the bills, we would have like $3 left for anything else. That’s paycheck to paycheck.”

7. Constant emergencies

“If emergency items stopped happening, I could actually save something. Medical bills, dental bills, car repairs, home repairs, just when we get a bit saved it goes to something else.”

“Every. Single. Time. And it’s always the exact amount that I have in my savings.”

broke, bills, paycheck to paycheck, scared woman, finances, american life, purse
A woman who has no money. u200bvia Canva/Photos

8. Healthcare costs

“For me it’s healthcare that makes me live paycheck to paycheck. I have had two random emergency surgeries in the last 3 years. With a 10k deductible on my health insurance I’m 20k in debt and having to make $400 payments per month on it on top of my $490 a month premium. Before that first surgery I was debt free and doing ok. I have now accumulated about $5000 on a card too just trying to keep up with bills.”

“I paid 20% of my take home pay for insurance. Then I pay another 10 to 20% for medical expenses to keep my disabled husband alive. So 1/3 of my income goes towards medical expenses. That’s the problem and I can’t do anything about it. I have super premium insurance at my job which pays terribly. If I got another job, it might not cover some of the things my husband needs or I might have to work so much that I would have to pay a caregiver.”

9. Cost of living is too high

“Never being in a position where you are ahead of all the bills. A person makes $30 an hour, works 20-30 hours of overtime, had a $600-1000 car payment, rent is probably $1500-2000 per mo., electricity bill $140 per mo. month, car insurance $120 per mo. Gas $140 per mo. Phone bill $150 per mo. Food $500-1000 per mo.”

10. Living high on the hog

“I’ll take a differing take here then a lot of comments and agree with OP that financial habits are often very poor. I work in a field that has a lot of pretty high income earners in a MCOL city (>80k starting).

“I see a ton of people who complain about being broke that do a lot of the following

  • Order out, especially with apps like DoorDash becoming ubiquitous, they are a massive cost and are well hidden enough that people miss it. Like upping the price of the menu items, most people don’t know the price of the food if you ordered in the restaurant.
  • Cars, both too much car, but also frequently trading vehicles in. Cars have gotten a lot better in the past decade but there is no way I’m trading in my vehicle when it’s paid off, as long as it’s reliable. Safety features would be nice, but not at that significant of a net worth hit.
  • Not putting away money for retirement, even with company matches. Company matches are a huge free return on your investments. Paying more now means paying much less later.
  • General luxuries, I had a coworker state she didn’t match her 401k because she couldn’t afford it, but later said she had very very expensive kitchenware. Lifestyle creep is real, and we are all susceptible to it.

There is a large element to the economy that is completely out of one’s control, but to take all personal responsibility out of the equation misses a big chunk of why we are in such a massive boom and bust with personal debt.”

broke, bills, paycheck to paycheck, scared woman, finances, american life, couple
A couple arguing over money. u200bvia Canva/Photos

11. Starbucks

“I know you’re being half-hyperbolic, but I had a coworker who spent well over $100 on Starbucks in the morning and takeout/delivery for lunch every week. She was always complaining about money being tight. I’m not a cheapskate by any means, but I’m sure as hell not spending nearly $20 for some shitty meal from Panera delivered by DoorDash when I can pack my own lunch for like $3.”

12. Consumerism

“My opinion as an outsider who moved here two years ago from the UK. Seems like money and work work work seems to be the focal point and consumerism is HUGE out here with a lot of waste. Maybe it’s the social circle I’m in but it seems like people also spend silly throwing more than what they can afford on loans and cars etc.”

13. Daycare

“For me, it is a daycare costs. We have to pay $720 a week for 2 kids in a standard daycare. We did not live paycheck to paycheck before having kids.”

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    Dads respond

    Many dads shared their emotional responses to the story:

    “Welp I’m f*cking crying on the toilet as my wife and my son nap lol.”

    “❤️ that was lovely. My daughter is 5 and we put her to bed with a routine every night. Sometimes it’s fun and lovely and sometimes it’s a struggle. And sometimes it’s both. And part of me is looking forward to her doing to bed herself and part of me knows I’ll miss it.”

    “I’ve been thinking about this a lot with my boys lately. They’re still young, and still love the bed time routine with me and their mum. But I’m already getting emotional over the idea that one day, like you, I’ll have to do it one last time. Treasure the memories forever, as I’m sure you will. I don’t really know what else to say, but…yeah, this made me feel things even more. Kudos.”

    “Lying in bed now with my snoring 4 year old, after doing our bedtime routine and this post hit hard. Giving him a big hug and kiss before I leave as always but I’m going to do it more mindfully. Hopefully he still wants me to do this until he’s 11 too. You are a great dad.”

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    Hillary Pilotto, therapist and founder of Better Balance Counseling, Ltd., told Upworthy that this transition is a normal (albeit painful) experience that many parents face.

    “At 11, kids are right in the middle of the individuation process; developmentally, they are supposed to be pulling away,” she explained. “Wanting more independence, more privacy, more of their own identify separate from mom and dad. That’s not rejection. That’s healthy.”

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    “The best thing a parent can do in these moments is what the dad did; honor it. Name it,” she said. “Show your kid that transitions matter and that it’s okay to feel two things at once. That’s a lesson that will stay with them long after the bedtime routine is gone.”

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  • Mom shares daughter’s epic response to girls who bullied her, and people are applauding
    Emmie Droubay shares her response to kids saying, “We don’t like you.” – Photo credit: @marendroubay/Instagram
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    Mom shares daughter’s epic response to girls who bullied her, and people are applauding

    It can be tough for parents to see their kids on the receiving end of unkind comments. But sometimes, we’re reminded that many kids have unshakable confidence—and actually have a thing or two to show us about what resilience really looks like. Recently, a mom named Maren Droubay shared that her young daughter Emmie was…

    Heather Wake

    It can be tough for parents to see their kids on the receiving end of unkind comments. But sometimes, we’re reminded that many kids have unshakable confidence—and actually have a thing or two to show us about what resilience really looks like.

    Recently, a mom named Maren Droubay shared that her young daughter Emmie was the target of some mean-girl bullying. A few girls had apparently told Emmie, “We don’t even like you.” Ouch.

    But apparently Emmie was completely, totally, undeniably unbothered. And Droubay was so proud of her response that she shared it on Instagram.

    Holding a very apropos princess wand, Emmie recited the words:

    “Well, guess what? My family thinks I’m a princess, and I’m super kind and nice…If you don’t think that, that’s okay because that’s what I think of myself, and that’s who I actually am…I know who I am.”

    “I hope someday I can be as confident as she is,” Droubay wrote in her video. She added in the caption that this was “one of those moments where you realize you might be doing at least one thing right as a parent.”

    Indeed, viewers credited Droubay for Emmie’s delightful resilience.

    “That is the product of some A-plus parenting and a village that has poured confidence into this babygirl. May we see more of this in our kids. All of our kids,” one viewer wrote. 

    Another added, “Wouldn’t it be amazing if all parents talked to their children like this and they all thought they were super nice and kind. Good job, she is a sweet little princess! 🌟”

    While Droubay told Upworthy that Emmie’s self-esteem comes rather naturally (“she has always been a confident girl”), she nonetheless has proactively worked to “encourage” it, mainly by “speaking to her with love.”

    “One thing I learned in college that really impacted me is that children form their sense of self in the first five years of life,” recalled Droubay. “I have tried to make them feel loved as much as I can because of that. We love the new Cinderella and so ‘have courage and be kind’ has been a repeated phrase for me with my children.”

    That is a sentiment shared by experts like parenting educator Samantha Moe, who said that words of affirmation “help children feel valued and reinforce their positive qualities.” That said, many parents might be concerned, and rightfully so, that too much praise could cause a child to seek external validation. In the video below, Moe explained that even consistent “I love yous” can offer a self-esteem boost without causing dependence.

    Since the encounter, Droubay has spoken to the other girls’ parents, and all is well. Her stance: “Little girls are just kids! Not every kid has the tools to be kind and is still learning. Every parent is doing their absolute best.”

    And even better, Emmie has gotten to see the incredible impact her video has had and has apparently “cried happy tears” because of it. All in all, it’s a pretty happy ending. It has inspired Droubay to offer these words of encouragement to fellow parents:

    “Your children only have one brief childhood, and then they go out into the world as adults. Our words have deep impact on who they will be. Every action we take as parents affects their lives—obviously I mess up as a parent all the time—but we have the power to speak love, kindness, and condolence into our kids—so why not?”

    Can’t argue with that. 

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  • Doctor adopts 5-year-old boy who showed up to heart surgery completely alone
    A woman looking concerned. A boy in a hospital bed. – Photo credit: Canva
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    Doctor adopts 5-year-old boy who showed up to heart surgery completely alone

    Back in 2022, True, a five-year-old under the care of social services, was dropped off at Children’s Nebraska in Omaha for a seven-hour heart procedure. No parent, guardian, or caseworker was to be found. True had been struggling with complications from a previous open-heart surgery for his congenital heart disease, a condition that caused parts…

    Heather Wake

    Back in 2022, True, a five-year-old under the care of social services, was dropped off at Children’s Nebraska in Omaha for a seven-hour heart procedure. No parent, guardian, or caseworker was to be found.

    True had been struggling with complications from a previous open-heart surgery for his congenital heart disease, a condition that caused parts of his heart to be underdeveloped. Unfortunately, his caseworker had COVID-19 at the time, leaving True to face the surgery alone.

    A fateful encounter

    After spotting him in the pre-op room, pediatric cardiac anesthesiologist Dr. Amy Beethe “could not stop staring” at the sweet child’s face throughout the surgery, CBS News reported.

    “It just took me back that this four-year-old kid was undergoing heart surgery and no one was there,” she told KETV.

    Despite already having six children of her own, Beethe couldn’t shake the connection she felt to True and called her husband Ryan to discuss making him their seventh child.

    “I just said, ‘we need to have a talk when we get home and I need ya to have an open mind,’” Beethe recalled. 

    Though initially “hesitant,” Ryan nonetheless agreed that “it just felt right.” A year and a half later, True was adopted.

    “It didn’t take long to fall in love with him and know that we needed him in our family,” Ryan told KETV. 

    The story doesn’t end there, however

    Beethe and her husband knew that True had five siblings in the same foster care situation and not only worked to get them adopted into stable homes, but also into homes within Beethe’s community—including her sister, her sister-in-law, and a coworker. This ensured the entire family stayed in close contact.

    The couple even adopted True’s older sister, Laney, bringing the family to eight children in total. While the now 10-year-old will need a full heart transplant in the future, he won’t be facing those challenges alone.

    The effects of sibling separation in foster care

    Sibling separation is recognized as a significant, yet common issue in the child welfare system. It is estimated that between 53% and 80% of siblings in foster care are separated from one or more of their brothers or sisters. This is either because the foster home is not large enough to accommodate them, because of different care needs, or because of the timing of their removal. It makes an already traumatic situation worse—potentially leading to long-term mental health issues, substance abuse, academic struggles, difficulties maintaining close relationships, and a lasting feeling of rejection.

    The fact that Beethe could keep all six siblings together is nothing short of a miracle. She hopes their story will inspire others to consider taking in a foster child: “They are like a little flower bud that just blossoms. If more people would do it, it would change the world.”

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  • 18 moms share their most intense and strange pregnancy cravings
    Women share their most intense and strange pregnancy cravings. – Photo credit: Canva
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    18 moms share their most intense and strange pregnancy cravings

    Pregnancy cravings are one of the many bizarre things experienced during pregnancy. From sweet to salty, they run the gamut of tastes. A study published in Frontiers in Psychology found that an estimated 50–90% of women experience pregnancy cravings and noted that they often begin at the end of the first trimester and become most…

    Emily Shiffer

    Pregnancy cravings are one of the many bizarre things experienced during pregnancy. From sweet to salty, they run the gamut of tastes.

    A study published in Frontiers in Psychology found that an estimated 50–90% of women experience pregnancy cravings and noted that they often begin at the end of the first trimester and become most intense during the second trimester.

    A June 2025 study on pregnancy cravings found that pregnant women tended to crave cold foods rather than hot ones. They also preferred “crunchy” textures over foods described as “smooth” or “creamy.”

    @jayshettypodcast

    To all the moms out there – what’s the strangest thing you’ve craved during pregnancy? 🤯🎙️ full episode all about pregnancy nutrition with @Glucose Goddess out everywhere now. LINK IN BIO or search ‘On Purpose Glucose Goddess’ to watch on YouTube #pregnancyjourney #motherhood #pregnant #moms #pregnantlife

    ♬ original sound – On Purpose Podcast

    Moms on Reddit opened up about their intense and strange pregnancy cravings, sharing the crazy combos they couldn’t get enough of while pregnant. These are some of their salty, sweet, and super-weird cravings:

    Salty cravings

    “There’s a mom and pop restaurant almost 45 minutes from my house, and very much out of my budget, that has the most AMAZING dry rub boneless wings- and their ranch is house made. I want to BE the chicken wing, I swear to god it’s the best thing I’ve ever eaten in my life.” – Disastrous-Radish504

    “I just about had a meltdown at work when the fast food place forgot ketchup. I actually walked through the entire office asking if anyone had ketchup packets stashed away somewhere, ransacked the break room…I finally went down to the cafe in the building and asked to buy just ketchup. The guy took one look at me and just started pouring it into a container, free of charge, he could see my big belly and my face and pretty sure he knew exactly what was up.” – superherostitch

    “McDonald’s hamburgers (like the super basic one that comes in a happy meal) with no cheese and extra extra extra extra extra extra pickles.” – glory87

    “Anything with lots of avocado, lemon, meat, and olive oillllll 🤤.” – PitchGlittering

    “My favorite craving was Olive Garden’s salad, I ate it every day for a week it was so intense, my weirdest was my craving for McDonald’s fish fillets 🤢🤢🤢 I still can’t wrap my head around it because I think they are so gross, fish and cheese is the worst but man I’d ask my husband every other day to stop after work and get me at least 2, for a solid month. Ugh.” – CoffeeTvCandy

    “The first time I found myself eating beef jerky in my car in a gas station parking lot without any recollection of purchasing it was when I realized I needed to buy a pregnancy test. I’d been vegetarian for over 8 years at that point and now for over 30 years aside from that pregnancy.” – Visual-Fig-4763

    Sweet cravings

    “Watermelon and fruit in general the first trimester. Then smoothies and milkshakes second trimester. I think I just wanted all the foods third trimester, but could only eat a few bites at a time.” – Jusmine984

    “Blood oranges. I just couldn’t stop eating them. Also helped that we lived in Florida. So I was like a blood orange hoarder for 9 months. Would make my husband go to random farms to pick up oranges on his way from work.”- Senior_Tangerine3083

    “Chocolate chip pancakes.” – soul-searcher3476

    “Cinnamon Toast Crunch lol. I’m not a cereal person but i was when pregnant.” – tiredmillienal

    “Oooooh I’ve got some funny ones. I had a lot of cravings, but ironically my most intense ones weren’t for food. Except at the end- at the end of my first pregnancy, I VIOLENTLY craved snow cones. Bought a literal whole machine yo make them. At the end of my second, it was popsicles, so I was in heaven at the hospital 🤣🤣🤣 was like ‘please can i have a popsicle?’ And the hospital was super happy to bring me all the popsicles I wanted LOL.” – Darkovika

    “Mine was orange juice. For about the first 8 weeks, even before I knew I was pregnant, I was going through a half gallon a day.” – ButterflyTangerine

    Crazy combination cravings

    “With my first: all the cheeseburgers and those weird candy orange slice candies. I’m 32 weeks with my second and I’ve consumed nearly all the heirloom tomatoes the world has grown. That’s why your grocery store doesn’t have them. Twas meeeeeeeeee.” – heylittlefightergirl

    “With my oldest I craved a mayo lettuce sandwich – yep just a mayo, lettuce on white bread.” – syaami

    “Sushi. Raw fish. And blue cheese. Not even kidding. I was so nauseous all the time, and thinking about eating sushi was the only thing that got me through.” – Ok_Bumblebee_3978

    “The food that slapped was Sea Salt and Vinegar chips with Sardines stuck between two crunchy chips.” – DogsNCoffeeAddict

    “Vegetable sushi, stewed okra and tomatoes, and M&Ms.” – ghostdumpsters

    “One time I went to the grocery store at 10 pm because I was craving salt and vinegar chips with French onion dip. Sounds gross but damn did that hit the spot at the time.” – yogipierogi5567

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  • Mississippi church posts new ‘loud kid policy’ on Facebook and people are raving
    A church went viral for its tongue-in-cheek new policy regarding “loud kids.” – Photo credit: First Baptist Union/Facebook & Canva
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    Mississippi church posts new ‘loud kid policy’ on Facebook and people are raving

    “Policy enacted. No exceptions.”

    Evan Porter

    It seems kids are becoming less and less welcome in public spaces. For one thing, fewer Americans are choosing to have children at all. Couple that with social media, and the trend has only served to amplify the disruption kids cause in traditionally adult spaces like breweries and brunch spots. An eternal struggle exists between busy parents with no babysitter who still want to enjoy avocado toast and the folks who’d prefer to do so without noisy kids around.

    But surely, one place where families are always welcome would have to be church—the original community gathering space. A place where all are not only welcome, but embraced. Even loud kids. However, this has turned out not to be strictly true either.

    Over the years, many churches have separated children from the main worship space and instead provided them with age-appropriate activities. It’s a noble idea, but many parents say the practice feels exclusionary and forces families to spend that time apart. Even in the supposedly loving environment of church, there are plenty of folks who want to hear the service without the wail of a toddler in a tantrum.

    Julie, a blogger and pastor’s wife, writes, “If you walk into a church that doesn’t have a heart for kids, you’ll know almost instantly. Congregants will look annoyed at childlike behavior and sounds, they’ll strongly discourage children from staying in the worship service, and folks will appear generally disinterested in them.”

    One church is going viral for its cleverly worded “new policy” when it comes to noisy kids attending services.

    church, family, kids, children, noisy kids, child free, kid free spaces, kids in public, parenting, kids at church
    Many churches don’t allow children in the main worship area, or at least frown upon it. Photo credit: Canva

    First Baptist Union in Union, Mississippi, recently posted an announcement on its Facebook page regarding loud kids at church.

    “There have been updates to the Loud Kid Policy at FB Union,” the post read. “If you have a loud kid, then this is for you. I know it might ruffle some feathers, but we had to do the right thing.”

    The whole memo has to be read to be fully appreciated, but in short, church leaders announced they would offer “five” options for families who wanted to visit with loud children. With a little clever wordplay, all of the options amounted to the same thing: Bring them.

    “We believe the sound of children in worship is not a distraction. It is evidence of life, growth, and the future of the church. If your child makes noise, you are not bothering us. You are blessing us.”

    The post was a viral hit. Not only was it re-shared hundreds of times by the Union community, but it also reached far beyond Mississippi. The original memo and slight alterations of it were posted by churches across the country.

    Reactions were largely positive. Many parents and church members chimed in to comment on how much they appreciated the tongue-in-cheek gesture:

    “I’m not even a member of FBC so I’m unsure as to why I’m seeing this, however, this is great. A pastor once said that a church without children is the signs of a dying church. Bring in the little ones!!”

    “A friend shared your post with me and wow! What a relief! Someone from leadership [at my church] called me and told me that my 18month old foster son was very distracting and then he asked me 1) Do I know we have a nursery? And 2) Why am I not utilizing it. I was livid.”

    “I once heard a preacher say, ‘If I can’t preach over a crying kid, it’s time for me to stop preaching,’ when someone got up to take a loud child out of the sanctuary.”

    “Not a member but I love this. When I first came to our church I was so worried cuz all of my kids are loud. When they would be loud id look at the older adults and would see smiles. Now I bring our baby in and they all love seeing him. Its so nice not to feel like I can’t sit thru a service because my baby is fussy.”

    However, not everyone was on board with the sentiment, especially as the announcement began reaching a wider audience. After New York Times columnist David French reposted it, a few folks took umbrage.

    “I don’t love it at all. If your child is being unruly, loud, or disruptive during a church service, you should be considerate of everyone else and step out with them. If they’re old enough, they should be disciplined appropriately. Assuming it’s acceptable to let a child scream and whine through the service is ridiculous.”

    “No. When the Word of God is preached, we should have an environment that eliminates distractions. I have 5 beautiful children, but if they’re starting to fuss, or just be a normal 2-4 year-old, we remove them and take them to children’s church or out in the foyer.”

    With its post about loud kids at church, First Baptist Union unintentionally sparked a fascinating debate about the presence of children in public, even in family-friendly spaces. Whether we like it or not, children come pre-packaged with noise, movement, and disruption—and it’s not always the result of poor parenting. Whether you find their childish chaos beautiful and invigorating or extremely annoying is a matter of personal taste.

    One thing is for sure. With more and more breweries outright banning children and airlines separating young children from their parents during the seating process, thereby sparking wars in the economy section, it’s refreshing to see at least one place take a stand and allow kids to be seen and heard. No matter how loud.

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