Your post is an interesting personal account. I understand Ms. Merkel is asking Germans to have more children. Another article on this site spoke of the coming demographic implosion in England and what steps the government might take to change things. I am not convinced government can. There is a spiritual aspect to childbearing/rearing that I think Europe has lost in some ways. One of the women quoted in the article seems to deride Americans who go to church. Sheesh. This lady, and others like her, are trying hard to convince themselves of something that, deep within, the are not comfortable with.
I think you are right--and you can't legislate that--at least not in the west. The remedies that I have read all have to do with money incentives and parental leave. That kind of government remedy won't work and is part of the reason they are having problems to begin with.
Yeah, the article did mention that since so many now do not believe in God, they don't see the need to reproduce because "what is it all for?". Sad, really.