I'm blown away that any one actually thinks before having number 2 (or not having number 2), LOL!
I guess I have a different perspective, thinking or no thinking, I'm blown away that anyone has time to make a second baby. <wink> DH and I hardly ever saw each other and when we did we were exhausted!
But seriously, Dottie brings up an intersting point. I have been a counselor for over 2 decades now, and, it really does amaze me how few people question the assumption that 2 is the "normal" number of children. I think for a lot of families, 2 IS a good number, but I have met a few families for whom 8 seems just right, others for whom none is really the best option, and folks, like my husband and me, who are totally happy with one.
Given the 50% divorce rate, the stress of parenting and maintaining a relationship in a 2 career household, the costs of raising even one child with all the extra activities we now have available, the cost of sending kids to college, the 5% risk of having a child with a birth defect or mental retardation, and the environmental effects of each new American (think of all the plastic each baby generates, plus car trips, diapers etc), I do encourage people to take a long hard look at the whole picture as they are deciding about family size.
I'm not saying that people shouldn't have as many children as they want, but I am saying that just because two is the cultural norm, doesn't mean it's right for everyone. And I do realize that because of my work, I tend to think about these things probably WAY more than is sane <smile>
