I have one sibling. He had 2 kids. I have 2 kids. My mom was 1 of 7. We grew up with our aunts and uncles and cousins. Having family is fantastic. 1 sibling and 2 kids makes a small family with limited extended family. My friends with 5-6 seem the happiest. I have 4 and am thinking of 1 more.

Sure, financially things change. Kids share bedrooms. Extra activities are limited. College requires planning, choices, and probably work study. Costco is the grocery store of choice. But in the end, family is the most important thing and trumps the materialist things in life.

Anonymous wrote:Status is absurd. I have never met anyone who had a child for status reasons. We had the family we had and are loving it. Yes we are fortunate to be able to afford this area, but I could care less what anyone else thinks. I am one of six children and loved every minute growing up. Life was always awesome and fun. Live your own life and don't be a judgemental jack ass.

I think "status" isn't the right term. "Luxury" is the right term. Being able to afford 3+ kids in today's upper-middle SES is a luxury.

I recommend an HHI of at least 150K per child.

Have you ever seen the movie "Idiocracy?" The premise is that the smart and well educated act responsibly and have fewer children, while the stupid and uneducated act irresponsibly and spit out kids like rodents. The end result is that society is overrun by the dumb and clueless and gradually devolves in an Idiocracy.

I'm sure it was meant as a farcical comedy, but as the years pass it looks more and more like a documentary.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Assuming this is a first marriage (i.e. no children from previous relationships), why would you and your husband decide to have more than just 2 children?
When I was a kid, all my friends had usually just one sibling. Now, I see families with more than 2 kids all the time. Usually 3+. Obviously, having one sibling is better than being a single child. But why more?

I teach my children that it is highly irresponsible to replace two people with more than just two. I also think it is much better for a family life (less activities to go to, more time to spend as a family, less financially demanding, less stressful, etc.)

Because they want them. Also, no, to the bolded.

+1.

Status is absurd. I have never met anyone who had a child for status reasons. We had the family we had and are loving it. Yes we are fortunate to be able to afford this area, but I could care less what anyone else thinks. I am one of six children and loved every minute growing up. Life was always awesome and fun. Live your own life and don't be a judgemental jack ass.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Status

This is a new thing, centered around major metropolitan cities.

Agreed. All my friends who make 7 figures a year have 3-5 kids. One managing director here at work has 7!

Why does that make it about status? Maybe they just wanted to have that many and didn't have to worry about the cost.

Because they can make that exact choice. Most of us do have to worry about the cost.

As Tina Fey put it, "“All over Manhattan, large families have become a status symbol. Four beautiful children named after kings and pieces of fruit are a way of saying, ‘I can afford a four-bedroom apartment and a hundred and fifty thousand dollars in elementary-school tuition fees each year. How you livin’?”

Because they think babies are cute. They're not thinking about carpools or money.

I grew up in a very catholic country where having 3 or 4 was the absolute normal. I have four siblings myself. I wanted a large family - we have four and we are done.

Status ... seriously? Come on.

One reason a bigger family appeals to me is because I have several friends who grew up in families of 4 kids and they are all best friends and wonderful people. I have one sibling, and we get along, but we don't have that kind of relationship. My friends with more siblings all have this kind of team mentality and i would love my kids to have that.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Status

This is a new thing, centered around major metropolitan cities.

Agreed. All my friends who make 7 figures a year have 3-5 kids. One managing director here at work has 7!

Why does that make it about status? Maybe they just wanted to have that many and didn't have to worry about the cost.

Because we love each other and them.

What's your problem, OP?

I'm not telling you how to reproduce.

I have a friend who adopted three kids. Do you judge her too?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Status

This is a new thing, centered around major metropolitan cities.

Agreed. All my friends who make 7 figures a year have 3-5 kids. One managing director here at work has 7!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Status

This is a new thing, centered around major metropolitan cities.

That is ridiculous. I'm planning a third now and have literally never considered status.

"Highly irresponsible?" Lol.