pz

That can also be true of small families, though.

You do remind me of another small coincidence, though: there were also 6 of us, and five of us had 3 kids and one had 2. Like Aquila said, most of us will now have families smaller than or equal to those we came from.

...unless we get a sudden surge in responses from Utah, perhaps.

Tufted

I had 2 siblings, but in reality, since my brother was 17 years older, and sis was 10 years my senior, I was essentially an only child (without the superprotective parenting!).

My wife was an only child, and, you guessed it, we had no children. When I go to a restaurant, and they say smoking or no smoking, I say "No children"!.

Godless Dave

siblings: 2
# of kids I want: 0-2

I wouldn't plan for more than two kids. Place settings, restaurant tables, and family vacation packages always assume a family of four. Plus two parents having two kids = zero population growth (NOT to be judgemental, just explaining the reasons for my own preference). And I think they're easier to raise when they don't outnumber you. I wouldn't want to have an only child either. Any kid with a father as goofy and temperamental as I am needs a sibling to comiserate with.

Of course, my parents didn't plan on having three kids either....

Totalitarianist

I have two sisters. I would like to have many, many children. At least more than five.

brighid

I have two siblings. My mother comes from a family of three and so does my father.

I have one child. My sister has 5 and my brother has 2 (that we know of.)

I want more children and we will likely have one more, or adopt. We have discussed having and adopting one for a total of three children.

My husband has one sibling and his mother has two and his father has two siblings.

If I (we) had the ability to financially and emotionally support more then two or three children I would consider adopting, but not birthing more then one child.

Brighid

Psycho Economist

Only child (with a half brother). I'd like two kids when it's time to talk about stuff like that. Pretty much for the same reasons GD outlined.

Hedwig

Same here.

My father has three brothers and my mother has two sisters. It's just me and my brother, though.

Stephen Maturin

Siblings: two younger sisters.

Children: don't have any, don't want any. Unclehood is wholly sufficient.

Acinom

No siblings.

Want to have two or three children. Growing up as an only child was very lonely.

openeyes

I have 7 siblings. I have 2 kids, was thinking of 3 for awhile but so glad now I only have the two as I'm raising them myself. Even if I did still have a spouse, I think 2's a good number now. I think it's much easier to enjoy your kids if they aren't overwhelming you. I also feel closer to them than I think my mom felt to us.

Several years back there was an effort to get lower income, lower achieving families to think 30, 2, and 4, that is, to wait 'til you're 30, have 2 kids and have them 4 years apart because that seem to correlate with higher achievement. Since I was also influenced by child development specialist Burton White (I think that was his name) who said that 2 years apart, though most common is the US, is bad spacing if you want to minimize sibling rivalry, I had my 2 almost 4 years apart (can't fine tune the planning exactly!), the first one just before 29. It's worked out pretty well ( especially considering the problems with their dad) and I've recommended it to all my siblings, none of whom have listened to me.

I have 1 brother with 5 kids (his wife came from a family of 12), 1 with 3, 1 with 1, and the rest have 2. I think in this day and age, not many couples are looking to have large families