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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I know plenty of women with big families in the DMV; they aren’t well represented on this board though. My mom had a bunch of kids and I’m so grateful for that. The sibling who is far younger than I am (by nine years) is all our favorite sib and she rocks! Materially, we didn’t have a lot of cash. My parents were often in debt. But not having nice clothes or a fancy wedding didn’t make us sad. We grew up like most Americans and things usually worked out. I didn’t even know I was “lower” middle class until I went to college and saw the wealth that others took for granted. I’ll take relationships over materialism any day. I saw that privileged backgrounds didn’t make my peers happy or emotionally well. That has informed my own approach to parenting. My kids are currently begging for a sixth. I’ve thought a lot about the arguments that ARE well represented here (resource issues, division of time, not being able to keep up with the activity culture, special needs, etc.) and I realize those aren’t relevant for my situation. I’m blessed with health and a great job so I’m going to make a less obvious choice…just be open to having more kids. When it comes to time spent per kid, I think people overestimate how much time older kids take and need and want from their parents (minus the driving—the chauffeuring is tough!). (I know I didn’t want my parents breathing down my neck once I hit a certain age. In junior high and high school, my only child friends were always trying to hang out with my family and get away from their parents!) Also, my kids love being with each other, all piling on my lap to read a book. We have fun together. We try to do one on one time, and it all works out. All to say, all sizes of family are beautiful. But I think sometimes some people prematurely opt out of more kids or make a permanent family planning decision out of shifting fears that aren’t relevant to them or are overblown. It’s ok to not want another at age 42, but you are consciously making that decision.[/quote]

I have 5 and mine are also asking to have another sibling! A subsequent poster mentioned that teens need time- which is true- but I find my teens seek out that time at different times than their younger siblings. It does mean you’re always “on” or prepared to be “on” though if you have a lot of kids. [/quote]

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