How many children is too many?

Too many kids is more kids than you want, more than you can provide a reasonable quality of living for. Only individual families can determine the right size of their families.

I have 4 kids (although I've given birth to 5) and that is an elegant sufficiency for me!

by meggf

Great answer and great image!

That, for me, is too many! But, I suppose, only parents can say how many is 'too many' for them.

by Vee

If we were 'back in the day'...then it would make no real difference, people grew their own food, had sheep, cows, chickens ect.
We are now most of us living in cities.
My girlfriend is one of 17.All living and well....By today's world that is a tad too many.
I don't think I could have had more than 3 children,how do you feed all those mouths?
Clothe them,put a roof over their heads.
I think to be very fair to the children...love is in this case not quite enough.
You have the well being in all issues with one child, now multiply over again.
Again and again.
Children are Not a commodity!
They are priceless and deserve the best, so when people take that into consideration, instead of the more the better....a child will be the first priority, not just some random wishes, or lack of birth control.

by jonaja

I don't think there is an answer to that as we are all different!

I would think more than 4 is too many for ME, however some people would be far better able to cope than I would.
Also some people have more patience and just love children so I do not think you can say they have too many children.

The only time I think it is unfair is when they cannot really afford to educate each child as they deserve to be, should they wish.
Then I think they have too many children, but not for any other reason.

by Finy

For a while there EVERYONE I knew had only 2 children - all my friends stopped at 2 and the very few who went on to have 3 were considered "crazy". My partner and I have been quite open about the fact that we would like 3 or 4 and people think we are mad to want such a "huge" family. The reasons given for this being "too many" - "You'd need to upgrade your car"; "Too expensive"; "We can't baby-sit that many!!" "You already say that you are tired - imagine if you have more!" and the best one "But you have a boy and a girl - you don't NEED to have anymore kids!!" Will be interesting to see how much support we actually get when the time comes!

by lizzi

IMO, in this day & age, beyond two is too much.
We chose two so they could attend a Private School from Grade V onwards. We could also give them a good lifestyle. House had three bedrooms; no room for any more.
The COST of child raising is now well & truly beyond a joke! I'm just so pleased mine are now in their late twenties'. How people can afford more than two, I've no idea. Unless both have well-paid jobs, or come from 'wealth', it seems an impossible task!

by donjo