[Dan in Pasadena]

Family legend has it that my maternal grandfather was one of 18 children although only 11 of them lived to adulthood. Infant mortality was a lot more common right before and after the turn of the 19th/20th century.

My own girlfriend is one of 8 children. She is the second youngest. Interestingly, all of them have a middle name except the last two. She jokes that her parents couldn't think of anymore names after the first twelve! Its probably more true than not.

I suppose if you WANT as many children as you can have AND you can afford to raise them...fine (well kinda) but seriously, no matter how well intended you were, how much time could you possibly spend one-on-one? You'd have to work your rear off to support them and when you were home, doing all the domestic stuff it would take for a family that big would keep you from EVER talking to them, much less enjoying them.