God Bless, Patricia! your story is not that different from mine. I am the only child of an only child, on my maternal side. I too wasn’t raised with many cousins, especially nearby. and the ones I did have were 2nd cousins. and older. I also wanted a “larger family”, thinking perhaps 3? but I ended up with 2, as well! and I also now have 2 grandchildren, and am happy, for now with the size of my family. tho someday my daughter may get married and have children. I know my son and his wife are finished adding to their family.
Family Size: The bigger the better?
Does family size impact how happy we are?
Our ancestors often came from larger families, with at least three siblings. Today, however, the number of couples who are having more than two children is small.
A recent happiness study found that two-thirds of couples with three or more children consider themselves happy most of the time. Also, they are more satisfied with their lives and build stronger personal relationships with others.
Yet, the number of homes with three or more children is down to 14% according to the UK Office for National Statistics. Two decades earlier, 17% of families had three or more children, and in 1976, in the US, 58% had three or more children.
Since the 1930s, the ideal number of children per family in the United States has dropped from an average of 3.6 to 2.6. Today, half of Americans say that two is the ideal number of children for a family.
Nowadays, people are also having fewer children. Many reasons behind this shift include the introduction of birth control in the 1960s, more women in the workforce since the 1970s, increased costs for raising children and economic situations.
Although family size may have shrunk over the years, our relationships remain the same. We still share memories, stories and create bonds with our ancestors and relatives, and some families have gone back to living in multi-generational homes!
Do you come from a large family? Do you think there is an ideal family size? if so, what? Let us know in the comments below.
Patricia Topmiller
August 9, 2015
I was adopted when I was 3 mos. old. After my Dad left for WWII, my Mom tried to adopt another little girl but was told her home was to unstable as it wasn’t certain my Dad would return from the War. So I was an only child. Also on my Dad’s side I was an only grandchild and only niece. My childhood was pretty lonely at times. I had lots of cousins but most were at least 6 or more years older. I had one female cousin a year older but they moved away when I was 9. I usually had one really close friend and other friends not so close. I always wanted 4 children. For some reason I thought that would be the perfect number. We ended up having two which, as it turned out, was a good number for me. My ex-husband wasn’t really “present” for my children. This is not my opinion but theirs. It wasn’t until I was in my 50s and my daughter and son-in-law had two daughters that I was able to come to terms with the fact that I didn’t get to have those other two babies of my own. God gave me my wonderful granddaughters so they have substituted for those I missed for so long. I’m very content with the size family I have now.