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-Brooklyn, on Elisabeth Hasselbeck Bumps It Up in Black"Our first child was not the easiest of babies, which is why we left it five years before the second. Our second was a dream baby."
- Hugh Jackman, on Hugh Jackman Defends Madonna’s Malawian Adoption
"We want a lot of them! By a lot, I mean, like, two. And probably sooner rather than later."
— Jason Biggs, on his slightly different definition of a big family. Wife Jenny Mollen previously said, "He wants kids now, but I need at least a year."
Source: Us Weekly; Photo by Neill J. Schutzer/Ramey.
How many kids is "a lot" to you?
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August 19th, 2008 at 12:33 pm
How silly lol
August 19th, 2008 at 12:36 pm
4+ is a lot to me. We want three and even that I’m not 100% sure on, haha.
August 19th, 2008 at 12:41 pm
4 or 5+ is ”a lot” to me. I want at least 3 and I have no maximum. As many as god will bless me with.
August 19th, 2008 at 12:45 pm
4 is a lot to me. I would love to have 3 and only have one so far and thats a lot already lol. Its all in the persons perspective.
August 19th, 2008 at 12:47 pm
would love a big family but in this day and age to give kids what they need and how the economy is its not easily done.
So i am 26 and now instead of wanting 4 probably 2.
The earth is getting crowded and having kids that come from my husband and I would be a fright lol.
August 19th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
I would like 5 or 6 children… and I class that as “A LOT.” So does every friend or family member I mention it to! haha
August 19th, 2008 at 12:51 pm
Forgot to add… I would like 2-4 of them to be adopted, the rest biological
August 19th, 2008 at 1:00 pm
I think it also kind of has to do with how much they are spaced out. If you have 4 kids but they are all 3 years apart, that’s 4 kids but not “A LOT.” On the other hand, my friend has twin boys that will be a year old next week and she’s 8 months pregnant with another one. Now THAT is a lot. haha!
August 19th, 2008 at 1:00 pm
I have 4 children and I don’t really consider it a lot. I’d probably say 5 or 6 is a lot. I’d like to have 5. My husbands family thinks that if you have more than 2 you’re crazy, so they’ve basically disowned us!
I don’t think 2 is near enough…
I think once you have 3 then any more than that it doesn’t matter as far as the work load. You’re doing it anyway, just doing a little more…
August 19th, 2008 at 1:19 pm
3 is a lot to me
August 19th, 2008 at 1:22 pm
I was going to add – the oldest of my 4 just turned 5 years old, no twins. Although, I’ve been pregnant with twins twice but lost one of them both times.
August 19th, 2008 at 1:22 pm
I know a lot of families with 4 kids so I’d say 5+ is “a lot”.
We’re planning on a third in a couple years and then we’ll most likely be done.
August 19th, 2008 at 1:33 pm
For the most part I notice most people consider having over 3 a lot of kids, especially in this day in age where schools are expensive, clothes, homes, if you wanna be able to take them on vacation, etc. For the most part most families I see have 2-3 kids, so 4 kids and up is a big family to me.
August 19th, 2008 at 1:42 pm
I think that more than 4 is a lot. That’s why we won’t go over 4, and that we’ll be too old to have anymore after our next baby (our 4th).
August 19th, 2008 at 1:45 pm
I also think I’m gonna adopt. I would like to have my first baby biologically, just to experience pregnancy. Then I might adopt a couple, and if I liked being pregnant I might have another biological or more adoptees. I want a big family.
August 19th, 2008 at 1:48 pm
I think 4 and over is a lot. I’ve only got two and I feel like I have my hands full!
August 19th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
my aunt had six kids close in age, and the youngest just graduated from high school. all of them are back at home, for one reason or another, and two of them have kids of their own! now, THAT is a lot.
August 19th, 2008 at 1:52 pm
I think it really just depends on what you’re used to. My husband and I are both from what other people consider “big” families– we’re both the 2nd of 4 children. But since that’s all we’ve ever known, it seems pretty normal to us. Our definition of “big” is around 6 or 7 children, and we’re aiming for having at least 5. My best friend, however, is the youngest of 2, and she considers 3 children more than enough.
August 19th, 2008 at 1:54 pm
As an only child, I think 2 is alot! My husband wants two kids though, he is one of two & everyone in his family has 2 so for him it’s the norm. I’m willing to have a 2nd, but I’ll be honest & say it does freak me out somewhat that we’ll have 2 little people running around here soon enough.
August 19th, 2008 at 2:10 pm
I’m about ready to have #5 and I think that’s a lot.
August 19th, 2008 at 2:20 pm
There is no majic number.. I feel you can have as many kids as you want as long as you can take care of them without relying on the help of others..
August 19th, 2008 at 2:32 pm
We have 4, and I don’t consider it a lot. Well for ME it’s a lot… b/c I was an only child. I live in a town where 4+ children is not at all uncommon though, so in that aspect, it’s not a lot. I’d say 5 and up is a lot! I also agree with the person who said it’s how you space them. Our first 3 are 3 years apart. That was no biggie. Our 3rd and 4th however, are 18 months apart. Just managing the two young ones wears me out!
August 19th, 2008 at 2:36 pm
I am the youngest of nine and I want to have at least six.
August 19th, 2008 at 2:42 pm
5 or more is a lot to me. I have 3 sisters so 4 doesn’t seem like too much, but 5 or more is definately a lot.
August 19th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
My husband adamantly wants 4 kids, which, until recently, I agreed with. Lately, I’ve been thinking to myself, “Well, I definitely want 3, but 4 seems like SO MANY!” It’s only one different, but for some reason, there seems to be a huge leap from 3 to 4 in my mind
We’ll probably end up with 4, anyhow! 
August 19th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
6 is alot! I have one daughter already and I would love to have 3 more babies!
August 19th, 2008 at 2:54 pm
For me, I think 4+ is a lot. I want to have 3-4 children but who knows, I might be done after 1 or 2!
My dad’s family has 6 kids and my mom’s family has 6 kids as well (5 boys, 1 girl in each!) and all of them ended up have 2 kids each.
I think it depends on your family. I’m the youngest of 2 and I’d really love a big family because it got boring with us during the summer.
August 19th, 2008 at 2:55 pm
4+ is a lot for me…I would love to have 3
August 19th, 2008 at 3:27 pm
My great aunt has three children. One has eleven kids, one has seven kids, and the other one has four kids. I think that is alot.
August 19th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
4 is a lot to me. I have 4 and it is waaay more than 3. I wouldn’t trade them for anything, though!
August 19th, 2008 at 4:04 pm
I have 3 so anything over 2 is A LOT. Heehee
August 19th, 2008 at 4:09 pm
4+
August 19th, 2008 at 4:44 pm
I am the youngest of two and my husband is the 2nd oldest of 5. So, I figure 3 is a nice happy medium between the two. We have a 3 1/2 year old and an 8 month old and I still feel that another one is waiting to join us.
August 19th, 2008 at 4:52 pm
I think the Duggar family with their 17 kids and one more on the way is a lot.
Me, I’ll take two. I’d like to have 4, but my age is a factor and I would need another promotion to be able to afford 4. I could never afford 18. LOL
August 19th, 2008 at 5:03 pm
Four is a lot to me. Three is good and two is perfect. My parents had three daughters.
August 19th, 2008 at 5:04 pm
If you can say that you’ve got a few (3 or more ) kids, I think you definitely qualify as having a big family.
August 19th, 2008 at 5:17 pm
I somehow have a feeling he was saying that in laughter. So many people say they want “lots of kids” and then after the first one decide to stick to 2-3.
Personally I think more than 3 is “a lot”.
August 19th, 2008 at 5:18 pm
How do the Duggars afford 18 children when hard working folks can only afford a handful? Shes a stay at home mom and I am sure all their “savings” are gone after this many years and this many children. Budgeting and hand me downs work..but 18 children! Sheesh.
If I was as rich as a celeb, I would want 8 kids. But only if they were the gender I wanted. 4 boys, 4 girls.
Since I will never be as rich as a celeb, I want 2-3 kids. 3-4 is what I consider alot..once the kids outnumber the parents.
August 19th, 2008 at 5:26 pm
On alot of message boards I am on 4+ is considered a large family.
I have 4 kids, they are 7,6(today),4 and 15 months.
There is a big leap for us from 3 to 4, 4 is alot harder…LOL
August 19th, 2008 at 6:04 pm
I’d consider 5 or more kids a big family. I would like 5 or 6 and adopt half or more of them. I was the youngest of 3 and always wanted more siblings.
August 19th, 2008 at 8:09 pm
I think one kid is a lot! Which is why I’m having zero!
August 19th, 2008 at 8:55 pm
As the eldest of 4, and coming from a line of big families (mum was one of five, dad one of four, grandparents were each one of 6+) two/three is a tiny family to me. I definitely want at least 5 or 6. 7 or 8 would be big to me, but that doesn’t neccesarily mean I would do it. I want to do both biological and adopted.
August 19th, 2008 at 9:11 pm
We have 8, and would welcome any more god chooses to send us. $ is not a lot. Once you hit 4, it actually gets easier. Getting there is harder than being there. 40 years ago 3 was a small family. Now people are buying this over population nonsense and think it is horrible to have more than 2! In actuality, all Western nations are declining in population. This is why we are having trouble supporting ourselves – not enough workers! This is only going to get worse! We are hoping to adopt through our Human Services department in the next couple of years, so we may be a family or 12 or more!
August 19th, 2008 at 10:27 pm
I have two friends with 3 girls each, and I used to think it was a lot. Now, I have another friend with four kids. A neighbor of hers also has four. I have 2 myself and that’s it for me. Four kids now seems a lot to me!
August 19th, 2008 at 10:34 pm
My mum comes from a family of eleven and my dad from a family of nine children, so i think that is alot! Mum and Dad had five, so I’ll probably have four or so. Haven’t really decided, need to get a man first (and not scare him off with talks of potential children, LOL).
August 20th, 2008 at 12:21 am
good gawd! so surprised at these answers!! i think 3 and up is a lot! it shocks me how many people think it’s no big deal to have 3 or 4 kids! good on ya, though. i could never do it!
August 20th, 2008 at 1:14 am
I have 3 sisters, 3 stepsisters, and 2 stepbrothers and people tell me that’s a lot. I honestly enjoyed having 8 siblings though! I couldn’t imagine being an only child or anything.
My stepdad’s parents had 17 kids.
August 20th, 2008 at 1:17 am
Oh and to answer the question, 4+ is a lot, but the idea of a “big family” changes with the times.
August 20th, 2008 at 1:21 am
I have 6. all girls; the oldest is 24 the youngest is 10. I know it’s more than most people, but it always seemed manageable to me.. While I’m not sure I would want 18 like the Duggars (especially as close in age as theirs are) I used to tell my husband I’d have a dozen if he let me.. So a dozen would seem like a lot to me.
August 20th, 2008 at 7:34 am
Well, we have 11 kids, all home-grown,and people think *that’s* alot, but in our homeschooling circles it’s actually NOT uncommon, where the average is generally 8 or more kids per family,and we know people who have 12, 13, 14, 16,and even 18 kids, so we think that’s alot!!
I think you consider alot to be anything more than what YOU have yourself….
August 20th, 2008 at 12:24 pm
I think it depends on the kids. We have two sons, 21 months apart. The older of which has autism. I cannot imagine having any more children. I struggle with just the two. Two is a lot for us.
August 20th, 2008 at 1:08 pm
Depending on my income I would say 3 or 4 is a lot. But for some reason I’m dreaming about having 5 kids.
August 20th, 2008 at 4:49 pm
I’d say 4+ is alot. I have 2, would like 1 more.
August 21st, 2008 at 5:28 pm
Anything beyond four is a lot to me. And still, I don’t know what I’d do with four. I’m sure I’d manage…
But besides that, I’m the youngest of six, and I never really wanted any children if you’d asked me a few years back. Then, I started gaining all these nephews..never any nieces. I just started thinking about having a girl of my own if I couldn’t have any nieces, though I do love my nephews, no lie.
I’d love to have a little girl somewhere down the road. And then, my mother got in my ear and somehow hiked the number up to two, then she talked to me again and I’m thinking I can probably do three. But that would be my limit. I think I can handle three.
If I can start with one healthy baby, I’d be happy.
The number of kids doesn’t determine what’s a big family or what isn’t. I think the parents/family having the children determine what’s big and what’s not too big of a family–for them, period. A person can think 10 isn’t big enough, or 5 is too many. It all depends on the person, their family, their beliefs and dreams, and if they have the means/time and devotion to have the children they want.
Of course, there’s the off-chance that a family is blessed with multiples, and that’s an entirely different story. What you might think and want as a family number can drastically change, then… Of course, there’s other factors that can change the big family numbers, but that’s another day, another time.
I just hope I made sense. Had a long day and I’m running on fumes right about now.