Big Family or Small Family?

I come from a family of ten and the noise level did get outragous at times. But on normal occasions we weren't all home at the same time. Only on holidays did the house seem to fill to the brim and beyond. It has been noticed that people that come from large families generally don't want large families them self and people who come from small families want a large family. I do believe it is because one doesn't know what the other goes through. I myself have one child and am perfectly happy with that. He has a family of his own now. But when he was younger I had no desire to have another one. He has told me on more than one occasion he wishes he had a brother or sister. So I do like a small family myself.

I grew up with only one sibling and one cousin nearby. My husband on the other hand has many cousins and aunts, it's very loud when they get together, it gives me a headahce and quite franky it scares my young son. But they all talk at the top of their voices, trying to talk over each other, it's so annoying. I think if they would be more polite and speak one at a time, it would be a peaceful large family. My mother has 3 brothers with wives and lots of kids, when that side of the family gets together a few times a year, we all sit in a circle and have discussions-this can be done! So I think it depends on the family.

I guess that this is just the way that one portrays things. Both my mother and my father come from big families and i would never change it for bit! I agree that big families can get noisy but this does not mean that thy are not peaceful also.

I belong to a small family myself, only me and my brother plus our parents, that is why I would want to have a bigger family of my own someday, I always envied those friends that has lots of siblings and it just seems that it is happier to have more people around the house...

We're only four in the family. My mom, my dad, my sister and me. On my mom's side, she has 7 other siblings, and each sibling has 4 to 13 kids. Talk about family planning. Then on my dad's side, he has 4 other siblings, each with 3 to 6 kids. So, I get to see how it is to have both a big and a small family. Having a small family enables us to have anything that we like. Our parents have really pampered us. In contrast, as what I've seen with my cousins, they get to do things on their own since their parents didn't have much time to check on each one of them. But I've seen the benefits of having a big family. You never seem to run out of somebody to talk to. And during the holidays, it was always a riot. It's fun to have a lot of people around for a change. As for me, my choice would be to have a small family. It's more practical these days.

I have only one full brother and sister. 2 cousins who had 5 children between them,one Aunt.I always wanted more but when I was older we discovered my father had 2 daughters,twins 17 years older than me.They have 10 children between them.
Strange how your wishes can come true.
My husband has 3 sister and a brother with 10 children between them.
It is very awkward when we meet as nobody really knows anybody else.
I think I prefer to be just the 4 of us,me,hubby and 2 kids. Much more peaceful.

I have a big family, 7 people total. My parents, 2 sisters, 2 brothers and myself. I have to share a room with the brother.

I grew up in a large house with 9 children (8 girls!), a constant flow of foster children, 2 aunts, a mom and grandparents. Until I was about 7, our bedroom was a third floor loft/dormitory. My grandparents and mom were very involved with the community so we were always hosting bible study and even choir rehearsal. My mom even started a choir made up of neighborhood gang members! There was just so much love and fun and people and drama. There was always someone to interact with. Yet, believe it or not, I have always been an introvert. My grandmother had a walk-in closet. She fixed up the far end of it for my "library", so I always had a quiet place to go. I didn't have my own bedroom until I was 13 years old.
Now, my family is technically my 2nd husband and myself. After a year of living just the two of us, I asked my son (21) to move in with us. His daughter is 2, she's with us about 60% of the time. My husband has young children who we try to see as often as we can. Basically, I like to have children and people around me. Not just visiting but living with me, involved with me. Yes, it gets overwhelming at times. I will even rent a hotel room to get a weekend to my self! Because I am by nature an introvert, my family and friends keep me in involved. Left to my own devices, I wouldn't even answer the phone. I'd be very cut off if it weren't for my big, noisy, nosy family - and mylot!

i grew up being the oldest of 3 daughters, so there were 5 of us ( i actually have a 3 yr old half brother right now but i never see him). It was a good size, and I also have a medium size extended family. I'm happy with the size. I hope to have 3, maybe 4, kids myself eventually.