In a poll conducted by Ladies Home Journal (November 2006), parents were asked, “If you had to do it over, would you have the same number of kids? Here’s how parents responded:
73% said “yes”
15% said the wished they had more kids
9% responded that they would not have had any kids
2% would have chosen to have fewer kids
As the mother of an “only” I’ve often been asked if I planned to or wanted to have more kids. For some reason many people still feel there’s something wrong with having just one child. If I had to do it over again I wouldn’t change a thing. In fact, I was always one of those women who only wanted one child. Growing up in a family of eight, I saw the good, the bad and yes, the ugly. I also didn’t think I could go through the physical aspects of giving birth more than once! Yes, I have a really low tolerance for pain. I’ve often remarked that if I could have given birth without actually being in the room I would have been happy.
I admit that sometimes I have wished that Tyler had a playmate. Someone that he could amuse himself with instead of expecting me to be his jungle gym. Then again, there’s no guarantee that siblings will be close and want to play with each other. Not to mention the sibling quarrels. I’m still amazed that my nephew and niece, ages 12 and 14, still spend a lot of time quarreling with each other over silly things. On any given day, I hear my niece yell, “Stop looking at me!”
Of course, there are also financial rewards of having once child. If I had more than one child, I would not be able to buy them the things I can buy for Tyler. When we return to New Orleans, Tyler will attend a private school. I definitely don’t think I could afford to foot the bill for two kids. Finally, with more than one child I don’t know if I would have been able to take the plunge and work from home. I make enough money freelancing to take care of Tyler and myself but add another little munchkin and I would have to add a big fat question mark to the end of that sentence.
What about you, if you had to do it over again, would you have the same number of kids?
See also:
Teaching Kids to Amuse Themselves
Can a Family Have Too Many Kids?
Report Says Sibling Spats are Inevitable