Lunatic that is a very good point I hadn't thought about it in those terms but yes of courseare right and this was the same for my Grandads family, there were 14 of them, all workers, several were soldiers in WW2.
I am very uncomfy with the idea that being in a big family means you will not be a productive member of society (whatever the fuck that means!)
Trust me I only have five and people always make comments about how do you have time, how they could never do it etc etc. It is hard work but I am in my element and if I weren't such an old bint and have met DH so late I would have had a lot more. I do struggle sometimes too, I am not Mary Poppins.... I take my hat off to her with the ironing, I pay someone to do mine!!! 
The assumptions people make about this family are breathtaking. One of the problems I feel in modern parents (and take this as you will) is that we are trying to balance it all and have it all. I know that this is a kind of anti feminist and regressive stance but I do feel that women have been shot in the foot a lot of the time around Mothering and feel that 'just' being a Mother is not enough. I am not suggesting we all go back to the 40's/50's but honestly those parents were absolutely devoted to those children and I personally know a lot of children (even only children and two's) that do not have quality time with their parents. Their parents seem to want to rush them through their childhood, get past the hard work stage and cannot wait for the school holidays to end. I am not saying that this is a script for modern parenting but for me, seeing these parents just reveling in their children and loving each stage (even though we can cast aspersions on the psychological reasons for that...) was so refreshing. When so many people struggle with modern parenting they seemed to take it in their stride. I think a lot of Mothers find it hard to see someone so surrendered to parenting (and I do not mean that in a doormat context) - it does spawn a bit of spite in some. That Mother was confident in herself that she was doing the best she could, how nice to see that.
And this thing with children not having enough time etc etc again I don't really buy into it. That poor boy missed his birthday because his Mum was having a baby but one of my children had his birthday delayed too because we were all ill - do you know, he got over it, it was no biggie. We are all raising hugely mollycoddled children with no coping skills (again I know, generalisations) but I do think that their children will be well placed to go out into the world. Remember their 18 year old daughter was working until she had the baby not sat on her bum doing nought! Despite a poor start and a very young pregnancy at just 14, they have not let themselves be defined by that bad planning and run a business and provide for their children. And all this what if the business goes etc etc. Seriously, how many people really live in this place of continual disaster planning. It is sensible to work on the probable and not the possible.
Is there a phrase or something about it takes a village to raise a child? they literally have their own village.