"dsi1" > wrote in message
...
> On 10/3/2014 2:21 PM, Julie Bove wrote:
>>
>> "dsi1" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>
>>
>> I have an older and younger brother. My older brother has no kids and
>> he's always telling me what I should be doing with the kids. My younger
>> brother has no kids either - he raises show dogs. He doesn't tell me how
>> to raise my kids and I don't give him advice on raising champion
>> dalmations.
>>
>> ---
>>
>> I just can't imagine having more than one kid. And not only just from
>> the pregnancy and birthing aspects. Every one is different. My brother
>> and I were and still are polar opposites. And three or more kids? I
>> don't think I could do it.
>
> Having a shitload of kids is an old-school concept. My grandma had 11 and
> my wife had 1 sister and 5 brothers. The stock answer in Hawaii when
> somebody says they had a lot of kids is "What, neva have TV set or what!"

There really is no need for a lot of kids these days. In the old days, many
people had farms and needed all those kids for cheap labor. And even if
they didn't have a farm, most of the day to day activities they did were far
more labor intensive than they are now.

I just got finished reading a book about the poor in NY. Even before the
Great Depression, things were so bad in some areas, the entire family had to
work. There are pictures of moms and kids, even small kids, sitting at the
kitchen table making dolls, socks, and other small things. If the mom
worked outside the home, they had places that pre-dated daycares. Often
these were outside areas and the only stipulation was that there needed to
be a sober adult somewhere in the area.

People often worked around the clock. Often they had factory jobs and
sometimes even the kids worked at the factories. They didn't have meals as
we know them now. They were just lucky to have something to eat. Even if
that something was just some candy or a jar of pickles. Just come home,
grab whatever might be on the table. Eat. Try to sleep (many didn't even
have beds) and repeat.