Not trying to be inflammatory but why do people *need* more than two kids?

Not being inflammatory, but .... 😂

I have 3, but have always earned over the threshold for child benefit, so does that mean I’m ‘allowed’ my 3?

No one needs any, I can see why people don't want just one (no judgement as we are happily one and done), but you're right no one needs more than two; some people want more though even if they don't have the financial security nor the logistics such as a big enough house to cope. It's selfishness at that point, I say this as someone who grew up in a crowded property in poverty simply because my parents just wanted a few more kids, ew

Similar here, had three but would have loved three more.

Nobody "needs" any.

Have you been living under a rock?! The world actually needs less people. You know, climate change and the fact that we are literally eating the world.

Well, not over here.. Had 4 children between the ages of 31- 39. One father … Russell Group Uni graduate, Masters, Career bla bla bla.

Some of us just enjoy larger families.
It’s not that complicated.

This.

i found having two quite stressful and divisive - eldest with daddy, baby with mummy - the third left us outnumbered so we had to stick together! It’s been such a laugh, genuinely, I wouldn’t have it any other way. We could afford it so we did it. Plus I was one of 3 so it felt right. (He was one of 5 and that was NOT right, there was neglect and bullying as his mum and dad couldn’t afford them and couldn’t cope.)

Won't shoot you down by we've taken five children traveling the world, more than once, before taking them home to their own bedrooms. We weren't rich either.

We had just one child, and have enjoyed being able to travel all over the world with her, we would have struggled financially if we’d had more. We briefly claimed working tax credit when my husband lost his job. I remember as a child that these benefits didn’t exist. Both my parents worked, my dad was in the building trade which at the time was very up and down so we depended on my mums income, she worked part time as a HCA. During these phases we really had to knuckle down and go without, it wasn’t pleasant at all.

I feel that the two child policy is sufficient, I’ll probably be shot down now for saying this, but growing up when this didn’t exist, something is better than what we got 🤷‍♀️

DH & I discussed and felt we could give two children a good life. Fortunately, I had no desire to have more. If we had more we would have had to move house, get a new car and less holidays. If you can afford more than two then why not.

It’s a bit silly to keep blasting the OP with ‘no one needs any’. No, one one ‘needs’ kids, but a country certainly needs kids to keep a stable population and that means an average fertility rate of 2.1 children per woman – so someone needs to have them from that perspective, don’t they? Considering not all women will have children and some will have one child, then it’s needs to be the case that some will ‘need’ to have more than two in order to meet that average.

How anyone decides who gets to have this ‘excess’ of two is always going to be arbitrary, pointless and possibly discriminatory.

Never heard anyone say they need kids….just that they want them 🤷‍♀️

I have 5. I have a good career with flexible working patterns, which I availed of when they were young. Current salary is in excess of 100k. They all had their own bedrooms, as there is an age gap. Older 3 are all moved out and in good jobs, relationships. I am currently on a 2 week holiday with youngest dd giving her plenty of 1 on 1 time. Dh is bringing youngest ds away for 10 days when we get home giving him similar. I have someone to clean house so beds are changed weekly. Am I a perfect parent, hell no, but even with 1 child i would still be the same parent. Do I regret it or look for state or family support? No. It's an individual choice for each family and no one else's business.

I've got 5 kids and I'm a full-time teacher. My husband also works in a professional job. I'm definitely not bored or trying to fill void!

I worked out the reason after three
😃

Yeah you’ve hit the nail on the head about the benefit cap being racist and otherwise discriminatory. There aren’t many families with 3+ children so my point about the “feral” 6+ child families where parents keep popping them out so they don’t have to get a job being an urban myth still stands.

Maybe be more specific in your title.

We have 4 children and the benefits cap doesn’t affect our family.

We have 3 to prove that no contraception is 100% reliable. Copper coil, she was born practically clutching it.

We didn't find out I was pregnant until 18w which I am really glad about. No big decision to make, just get on with it.

With DC3 everything changed. DH became SAHP. My career took off (as much as women's careers do take off). Life has been an adventure, much more so than if we had just the 2 DCs we planned.

I didn't need them. I wanted them. I would have had an extra one if my marriage hadn't broken down. Luckily for me I have a career as well, so my larger than average family is fine financially, as am I. I have never been a SAHM.

People want more kids, they don't need them. I imagine they want the third for the same reason they wanted the first and second. What is there to understand?

In some places there is a community that values big families and others that value limiting children. Either or both may have values around accepting benefits.

No one needs any really. Pointless question.

I had 4 because I was mortgage free in my 30s and thought why not? All have the same dad. #notaMormon