I always dreamed of having 4 kids. After becoming a mom, I only want 1.
A mother reflects on her transition from wanting a large family to deciding to have only one child. She discusses the physical, mental, and financial pressures that influenced her decision to stop at one.
Why it matters
The piece highlights the evolving societal expectations of parenthood and the economic realities facing families in high-cost urban areas.
The author was from a large family and always assumed she would have multiple kids. Now, it seems, she and her husband are one-and-done, and that's leaving her with mixed emotions. Courtesy of Virginia Isaad. I loved growing up in a big family and always thought I'd have multiple kids when I got older. Now, I think my husband and I are one-and-done. I love our life and our family, but I still mourn what could have been. Growing up, I dreamed of one day having a big family, just like the one I came from. My three siblings and I are all about two years apart in age. I always loved that when we went to places like Disneyland, we were evenly split and that each of us always paired off with one of our siblings for playtime.
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