How a British Writer Correctly Predicted Birth Rate Collapse
April 16, 2026
On a family road trip last summer, we stopped to eat lunch at a park. A young couple walked by, the woman pushing a fancy pram, occasionally cooing at the occupant within. I peeked over, but instead of a baby, out peered a small lapdog. In the span of a split second, my feelings changed to shock, then confusion, then revulsion.
It wasn’t the first time I’ve come across a dog in a baby carriage or (in other cases) in a baby sling or carrier worn by the “mother.” But the phenomenon is relatively new, and it prompts questions: Why is this happening now? And what does it mean for our society?
