Do you ever wonder what the perfect family size is? Is it one kid? Two five? Maybe it’s two parents, three kids, one dog, and a goldfish. Maybe it’s only two kids so that each parent has one kid when you go places. Or maybe it is only one kid so that you only have to do the potty training thing once. Maybe it’s four kids because that is what your family was growing up. Well, I’m here to take the guess work out for you. Are you ready to find out the perfect family size? Scroll down to find out what it is!
It’s whatever you and your spouse decide is perfect.
That’s it. There are so many different types of decisions that go into deciding your perfect family size that no one else can decide that for you. Yes, your perfect family size. What you originally think may change with time too. I always wanted five kids, then I decided three would be better. Now that I have two children, I have decided that I want no more. Two children is the perfect amount for me. (My husband is still learning towards having one more but knows that I’m not there.)
I have a friend that has stopped at two children because she wants to be able to travel, afford private school, let each kid have their own bedroom, etc. I have another friend who has three children and is deciding if the original plan of four is a good plan or if three is perfect for them.
Your heart may be saying “more kids” but your house and income level may be saying to stop. Or maybe you and your spouse are on different pages on what your perfect family size is. There is no “one size fits all” when it comes to family size. I can’t, personally, imagine having ten kids but grew up friends with two kids that came from a family of that size. It worked really well for them.
When it comes to family size, there is no perfect answer. There may not even be one answer throughout your marriage. It is a very personal decision, even though many people will feel the need to butt into your business. Whether you have one child or five, people, even strangers, will feel the need to tell you that your family is the wrong size. I once had an older gentlemen track me down in the store to tell me I had my hands full…with two children. Really? So strange. To my mind, two isn’t that many (although it can feel like it some days).
The important thing to remember with your ideal family size is that it’s yours! You and your spouse are the only ones that get to decide what your perfect family size is. Own your decision and don’t feel like you need to defend it…to anyone. Whether you are “one and done,” or “two and through,” or “as many as God blesses us with,” it is your decision to make. Be proud of it!
Nichole says
My husband and I decided on 4 kids. They are all 7 years and under, I am amazed at the amount of comments strangers feel they need to come out and say. An older gentle man came up to me while we were at the doctors office and said ” If you and your husband watched more tv at night you wouldn’t have this problem”. I wish strangers would understand who gets to decide their perfect family size. I agree with your post I wish everyone else did too.
Julie says
The comments do get ridiculous. It comes if you have a “small” family or a “large” family. The TV comment was probably supposed to be funny but was actually quite rude.
Dara says
Love how you concluded the perfect size is the one that works for you! My friend is expecting her 7th…not for me, but works for her!
Julie says
Exactly! If it works for her, doesn’t matter if it would work for you or me. 🙂