In this call‑in episode of the "Male / Female Hour," host Dennis Prager opens with the question: should parents, especially mothers, actively encourage their daughters to marry? He argues that many have made a "big boo‑boo" by not doing so, noting that women face a biological clock that men do not, making it harder for older women to find younger spouses. Prager frames the discussion around gendered realities of the marriage market, the role of religious upbringing, and personal experiences. Callers share their perspectives: Brian, a retired 49ers long‑snapper, explains how his athletic career taught him about the limits of professional sports, the importance of relationships, and confirms that men generally have an easier time finding spouses in their 40s. Mary from Albany describes a parenting approach that does not push marriage but instead mandates that her children complete ten distinct life experiences, reflecting a philosophy that values personal growth over marital pressure. Throughout, Prager interweaves anecdotes, humor, and references to religious benefits, while probing callers about their daughters' upbringing and the societal pressures women face as they age.
Chapters
So here's the topic of the day. If you didn't push and encourage marriage with regard to raising your daughter, do you in retrospect wish you had? Now obviously I think a lot of people made a big boo-boo in this regard. But I'm not forcing any answers. If you're happy with the way you raised your daughter— by the way, I think boys should be encouraged to marriage as well, but the price paid by a woman is greater. There's no ticking clock, biological clock, in a male with regard to pregnancy, and it's just easier because of the way things are in the world, not because of sexism, just because the way things are. It's easier for a 40-year-old man to find a 30-year-old woman than a 40-year-old woman to find a 30-year-old man, by the way, or want a 30-year-old man for that matter. All right, let's see here. Brian in Scottsdale, Arizona. Hello.
Hello, Dennis. Yes, honored to be—
thank you, thank you.
So I have a daughter, and I emphasize that she grow up to be married and be a great wife, because what I see Um, is that behind every great man is a woman, and I want my daughter to be that woman for a great man one day.
How old is your daughter?
She's young, so she's 5, and I have 2 boys, one that's 8 and one that's 10.
So this is how you are raising her?
Yeah.
Yeah. So obviously you can't tell us the results, but I agree with you. Are you a religious— are you a religious home?
Yes, certainly.
Yeah. Well, this is reason number 826 why the religious tend to produce healthier people.
I also happen to be a retired professional athlete, so I see the hollow victory of a successful athletic career.
Wow. Let me guess. Let me guess. You sound to me Narrowing it down to baseball and football. I'll say baseball.
Well, I grew up thinking I was going to be a baseball player, but it ended up being football.
Well, I was really guessing what you grew up thinking you would be.
That's right. You got it.
What did you play? What was your position?
I played for the 49ers. I was a special teams long snapper.
I, you know, this is going to sound like a joke. It is not meant to be. I never met a long snapper. You're the first.
Well, you guys, you guys don't get injured, isn't that correct? Well, yeah, you play like 12 or 14 plays a game. You try to not get killed by the defensive lineman when they hit you in the back with all their might.
So, uh-huh, that's right. As Sean just said, and you only get noticed if you make a mistake.
Yeah, that's right. So I managed to not get killed or fired for 13 years in a row.
That's that. No, bless you. That's great. But did you, did you know the limitations of, of a professional sports career?
Well, I knew at one point my income was going to drop to zero and my skills weren't going to transfer. Um, so yes is the short answer.
So you, you didn't spend all your money?
No. And I, I wanted to, um, I don't— I think it would be like, if you have a chance to play pro sports in your 20s, you do it.
Of course. Of course.
You don't turn it down.
No, I, I totally agree with you. Especially long snapper for the 49ers.
Great deal. And then the thing was amazing, I got to see exceptional people in the way their lives operate. And I was raised in the '80s that boys and girls were the same, and like profession was important, like I needed a job. And then I met all the most successful people that had the most money in the world, and they did what they loved, and they were in relationship with great people, and they focused on relationships and, and contribution, and money showed up.
So did you meet your wife while you were a player?
Yes.
Was she waiting for you outside the, the, uh, the locker room?
No, we met, uh, she— I outkicked my coverage. She was introduced to me through a mutual friend, like teammate at the time, and she is a better athlete. She's an attorney. She's a beautiful, like, model beauty. And, uh, she happened to take a fondness to me. Which I found, uh, you know, kind of surprising. But yeah, we were friends.
You know what, you got a lot of charm. I think your charm, uh, wit, professional athlete— yeah, let me tell you something, you're a desirable hunk.
Well, thank you. And I would also just agree that guys have an easier time finding a spouse in their 40s. Um, you know, so I've had like, my wife has friends in their late 30s that it's an emergency that they get married and have kids. And, um, I see there's a lot of suffering there for women that grew up building a career and they're looking at the next 40 years of their life being alone. That's scary.
Well, thank you for your call. That's, that's exactly my theme. A long snapper for the 49ers. This is one of the joys of my work. Eh, you know, never thought I'd talk to one. I love it, I really do. So this is the question, my friends. Are you raising your daughter? Did you raise your daughter? If you're a daughter, were you raised with too little emphasis on getting married? That's the question. All right, Mary, Albany, New York. Getting a lot of calls from Albany. Hi.
Hi, how are you today?
I'm well.
Good. Uh, first I have to say, when I first started listening to you, I envisioned a salt-and-pepper-haired gentleman, right? It wasn't until I saw a couple of your PragerU videos that I realized it's not salt and pepper, it's all salt.
This is like the Dead Sea.
Exactly. At least you're not going Himalayan pink.
No, not now. No, I went through that stage. Actually, I didn't, but it's very funny. To be honest, I feel very blessed with all my hair. And I got it from my mother. She had gorgeous full white hair till 89 when she passed away.
Oh yeah, that's how my family is. I've got Sicilian in me, so.
Right. All right, so what's on your mind?
But to answer your question, no, I didn't push marriage on either of my kids. Um, my biggest thing was I've been on my own since I was 17, and a lot of the adventures that I went on, uh, paragliding, whitewater rafting, I would have never done— been able to do if I had a kid. So I placed rules on my kids that they had to do 10 things in their life. Doesn't matter what those 10 things were, but they had to do 10 things in their life, and they couldn't do it.
All right, hold on with me. I'm very curious to know How they grew up, or, well, how— yeah, how they are now.
