A lot has been written about would-be parents who opt out of having kids to help the environment. Media outlets including this one assert again and again , that millennials are not having babies because of climate change.

A popular counter-narrative is that people are not (or at least shouldnt be) putting off having children because of climate change; instead, theyre attempting to raise a new generation of environmental stewards who will take action in a way other generations have failed to. Basically, its the theyll save us and clean up the mess we havent argument for having children.

But raising enlightened climate activists feels like one of those lofty goals that is easy to lose sight of when youre deep in diapers and school schedules. What does it actually mean, not just in theory or eloquent essays, but day in, day out? And how can parents avoid scaring the sh*t out of kids, adding to the long list of things they shouldnt have to feel anxious about, like active shooter drills ?