SEC-S17W3: Large and Small Families, likes and dislikes

There's a saying, The fewer the merrier. This applies to family size in different situations

A family who has two children complained they needed more children who would assist them in the farm. Gone are those days were parents had over 10 children which increased the size of their family. Now, the birth pangs has reduced the number of children produced but even at that, they are people that consider a large family as double blessing.

A poor couple had been advised not to go into producing children like babies factory. They barely had enough to care for themselves but they seek 5-7 children who'll help them in the farm, who they can be viewed as investments.

A young rich man had family planning with his wife and as luck could have it, they have twins, a male and female. They ended expanded their family size with what the had. These people bring rich and capable of providing for over 5 children but they choose to manage a size they'll care for and the care would be seen rather than having lot of children but you suffer in training and caring for them. This brings is to the contest, large and small families.

Large Families

This topic is more like a debate in sizes but I'll first of all talk about both family sizes before specifying which I like. Large Families to some many think it include extended family but a nuclear family can be large. How? This is a family setting consisting of the husband, his wife and children above 4. This is when someone says a family is large.

	Large family

When there are more than 6 in that family, the family becomes a large one. Even at this 6, it is sometimes regarded as a big figure and more balanced at 5 individuals in the family. Factors that usually bring about a large family can be;

• Distorted mindset of family planning
• Looking for a particular gender
• Religion.
• Need for extra labour......

Many feel those who have large families are rich and capable of shouldering these children but the truth is that 60% of people with large families are people that are either middle class or poor. So it's not about having plenty. It's about maintaining them if we are capable though they are disadvantages.

Small families

Small family size on the other hand is a family size that is limited in numbers. This consists of the father, mother and a minimum of 1 child and maximum of 3 or 4 children**. This family size is what many have decided to venture into because of the economy and the responsibility of raising a child talk more of raising children.

	A small family of 4
	A small family of 6
	A family of 5
	A family of 4

The criticality of the world in terms of feeding, expenses and bills have made a lot of married people to consider having no child or at least 2 if God will bless them with such. These are major reasons why many decide to have limited amount of children which reduces their family size. The picture below shows a family that is considerable in their family planning.

Many feel people having small families are weak and incapable but the truth is that, the fewer, the merrier and it all depends on the individual. It's better to have a crowd of 20 in your wedding and these people eat to their satisfaction than having a crowd of people in your wedding and then food doesn't reach 40% of the crowd. So it's not about being weak. It's about considering how well you'll shoulder the responsibility to your fullest potential.

My choice of family size

From the definition, it's very obvious to which family size is advantageous. Both are advantageous but I choose the small family size because of the following reasons. My family is a small family size and even as it's small with 6 individuals, it's sometimes challenging in terms of bills and other responsibilities.

With these challenges, my parents still try to shoulder their responsibilities and train us to the best of their ability. If it were a family that has 6 children, it would have been a major challenge especially in school fees.

No matter how rich I may be, it's better I have a few and these few enjoy me to the full including my time, money, training and my ability to care for them when they have challenges. Having a large family isn't bad. It comes with both advantages and disadvantages. Having a small family has disadvantages and advantages as well. These are stated.

In everything, there are likes and dislikes or advantages and disadvantages. This is also applicable in family sizing. The following are advantages of large and small families.

Large family	Small family
The support system in a large family is strong as they are likened to a large army. They are always available to support in tough times and with a large family, you don't have to suffer alone in the farm or work hard to finish up chores all alone. Imagine me alone in the farm working tirelessly with my dad but with a large family where you have lots of mature siblings, help will come and you'll forever feel motivated to work	In small families, you don't need to struggle over food as the fewer, the merrier. In large Families especially ones that funds aren't really available to support feeding, you struggle with food among your siblings of which you may not be satisfied at the long run. This can't happen in a small family that is buoyant.
When it comes to entertainment and liveliness, I give the verdict to large families as you can never feel bored in a large family. You'll always feel safe and secure as the case may be	Expenses are curtailed in small families. You don't have to budget gees, feeding, and other necessities including shelter for a large number of people. The fees you would have used in paying for 8 children can be used in catering for 2 for a sustained period.
There's always a sense of belonging in large families. You feel protected especially in school and other areas. Support is always there	In small families, it's very easy to devote time and care for a limited family size that to a large family. Responsibilities are easily shouldered and it's easy to train small amount of children than large.

Dislikes

In large families, expenses are on the high. Imagine going for swimming. The fee you would have paid for 2 will increase if you have a family size that is large. You budget a lot of expenses to accommodate all especially in fees	In small families, responsibilities can be very strenuous especially to the children. You'll be the only one doing chores or probably your chores would be much compared to the diversification they would have done in small families.
In large families, it's difficult to train every single person as they are much and you may not have time for these children. You will end up paying people to train them as the responsibility may just too much on you	In small families especially that of 2 or 1 child, the boredom and feelings of loneliness would just be there as you don't really have people to share your excitement with, to eat and play with. This is one major disadvantage in families that are just three, the father, mother and child.

It's not bad to have whatever family size you choose to but you need a good family plan so you won't suffer in responsibilities and end up regretting having such size. I'll conclude by inviting @emmyjnr, @basil20, @okere-blessing