My response was twofold, so I understand your confusion.

The part that was directed to you was where while I agree that if I were in the audience I would have preferred a speech that highlighted the rewards of parenthood.

And if I thought Mr. Butker's beliefs were "inferior" to mine, then I would hope both he and anyone in his audience would grow in "grace and understanding" and temper their words (and thoughts) with "wisdom and more matur(ity)". But this presumes my beliefs are "more mature and wiser" and his are wrong, rather than simply different.

But I do think your response was made "in love", so please don't take the harsher part of my response as directed to you. It wasn't... sorry, if you thought that. Much of my response was to tease out the idea that diversity includes tolerance and acceptance that we all have different beliefs... not because we are more or less wise or mature... but for a host of reasons unrelated wisdom and maturity.

I think highly of how you and your spouse have navigated the challenges of relationships, careers, and family. But others including Mr. Butker seems to have found a different path and emotion and love he conveyed regarding his wife suggests it works for them. I have not heard his wife say she is less than happy or would change how their relationship is working.

The rest of my response was targeted at those who like you hold different beliefs (and most of the remainder of this response, explains my thoughts on the subject, and are not specific to you) ...

... but who unlike you rather than hope people "mature" (nothing wrong with "hoping") want to impose their beliefs and values on others. This part of my response was not directed at you, but on those who want Mr. Butker fired for saying what he said.

I see these people everywhere from the conservative Muslim religious leader who want to impose Sharia law on those that don't subscribe to it, if they could and have in Muslim countries. Again, I have no issue with people that want to put themselves under Sharia law.

To the other extreme of progressive liberals that want to "cancel' people for expressing viewpoints that are not "politically correct". Again, I have no issue with their values pertaining to themselves.

We have become a society that seems bent on controlling how people think, rather than promoting people thinking for themselves. We need more Mr. Butker's giving speeches, who hold different views... some we might agree with and others we will find offensive. But most importantly, we need people who help us challenge what we believe. And in the process, we can form our own individual beliefs as well as respect and tolerance for those with different beliefs as long as...

They don't try to impose their beliefs on the rest of us. I don't see you as someone who does that, Mr. Butker as someone who does that, and I try not to do that... with three exceptions...

we have to raise children and demand immigrants to attest to the core values of America that are centered on individual human rights, civil rights, and property rights.

second, in order to survive as a society where people can and do hold different beliefs, values, traditions, etc., we must embrace tolerance. There is no room in our society for cancelling people like many are trying with Mr. Butker (I don't believe you are one of these people).

Third, our country must be built on the value of integration. For those that can't come around to this idea, we have laws against discrimination. But ideally, we are moving first towards social integration and eventually towards biological integration. We cannot thrive as a nation of identity groups at each other's throats behind used by politicians against one another.

With respect to my "exceptions", I don't think of them as imposing my beliefs on others but rather respecting the social contract that forms the basis of our society expressed in our Constitution and other documents. With regard to those three core values... I guess I too am a hypocrite in that I think we need them if our society is going to provide for individual freedom.