How Many is Too Many

[Fiona59]

Ok, I heard about this on "The View" this morning and it got me thinking. A family in Arkansas is expecting their 16th child. Picture of Mum and children getting some sort of award. Then I remembered seeing the family on one of those Baby Story type shows. They were following the pregnancy and talking about the fun family times (like going to a restaurant on kids eat free night -- the restaurant has since limited the number of kids per adult).

I remember looking after a woman who had just delivered her 10th child. Anybody else see this as a trend or does it just depend on the area?

[RosesrReder, BSN, MSN, RN]

Exploding the over population myth:

www.ncpa.org/pd/pdint21.html

www.nifty-fifties.com/Facts/OverPop.htm

www.rense.com/politics6/overpop.htm

cool :)

[LilPeanut, MSN, RN, NP]

I would like a real study by real scientists who say that overpopulation isn't an issue - not just opinion pieces by people who may or may not be qualified to make such assertions

[donmomofnine]

No kidding! I wonder about the degree of pelvic relaxation (and resultant stress incontinence) that these women must suffer.

I had nine and don't have any pelvic or continence issues!:)

[donmomofnine]

Exploding the over population myth:

www.ncpa.org/pd/pdint21.html

www.nifty-fifties.com/Facts/OverPop.htm

www.rense.com/politics6/overpop.htm

Thanks for this info!:) :)

[pie123]

16 children is way too many. i think that couples ought to consider if they have enough money to properly raise lots of children. i just do not understand how regular middle class people justify having huge families that they know they can't afford. i always wonder how the parents of these large families plan to put all of those children through college. it would seem to me that one would have to be a multimillionaire to be able to provide for a really large family. i wonder how many people that have all those children are expecting to be assisted in some way by friends, family, or the government? if they can't raise them w/out expecting others to help pick up the slack, then they shouldn't have alot of kids.

I agree!

[r_janice]

Ok, here's an interesting thought:

would you think it was acceptable to put your child in a daycare where the ratio was 16:1?

I agree this is quite the interesting thought! Very good point. And to answer the question : I would not put my daughter in a daycare that had that ratio. :)

[donmomofnine]

Is it better to have two kids who are placed in daycare or several children who stay home with their mother?:chair:

Just wonderin'........:)

[LilPeanut, MSN, RN, NP]

It's not about staying home vs. daycare....it's about acceptable and unacceptable child:adult ratios.

It would be illegal to have that kind of ratio in many daycares.....why? Because one adult could not possibly properly care for that many children on their own.

[donmomofnine]

Yes, but the daycare thing made me think...... I stayed home with my children. I felt that was a great benefit to them. Some folks here talk about not having enough time for lots of children, but I am countering that if they are in daycare all day, there is not so much time left for even a couple of children. So, maybe I had nine, but I spent a lot of time with them. That's all!

[LilPeanut, MSN, RN, NP]

But those children in daycare at least are getting proper supervision by adults, not other children.

[txkat]

So what is the "responsible" number of children a couple should have? I'll bet there are plenty of families with 2 or 3 kids using waaay more resources than these folks.

Is your definition of responsibilty only about the numbers? Mine includes quality as well as quantity.

Miranda F.

My post was about the number of children in the subject family, not about what makes a responsible parent. Of course responsibility is not "only about the numbers", but the number of children one chooses to have does factor in. I believe it IS very irresponsible to have so many children for more reasons than I care to list (most have probably already been listed by other posters). Please consider that it is not just about one generation of children. All 16 children will likely reproduce, and I think it's a safe bet that some of them will want large families as well.

[Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN]

All 16 children will likely reproduce, and I think it's a safe bet that some of them will want large families as well.

How do you know they will? I don't consider it a safe bet. Maybe they won't want to have children.

My grandma came from a family of 20 kids. She had 7 herself. Her kids had one, two, or three. Her siblings had no more ethan 4 each.

I'd resent if someone took it upon themselves to say how many is a right number, especially if i'm quite capable of taking care of them, financially and otherwise. It's not your life to live.