We are talking about large unmanageable families. Let's get one thing straight. Victorian and pre victorian times have been and gone. Large families were de riguer primarily due to the high infant mortality rate and a need to keep "making" children to cover any possible death. So with that in mind why do we still see very large families in the 21st century?
Well maybe there are two reasons. The first is the religious angle. Make more Christians and more Christians will roam the land. The second is a dark horse. Infant mortality or the fear of it. Yes even with the advances of medical technology there is still a fear that some babies will die due to a number of factors.
One reason is weaker genes in some families or the impact of alcohol/drugs. Another is the fact that many children are born into poor families and doctors visits just don't feature in that family dynamic. There is also a mistrust of the medical field and families are reluctant to see a doctor or specialist, preferring instead to risk mortality and knowing if there is a death, another baby can be bred to take it's place. Draconian thinking?? Maybe, but in an age where we need to give our kids every hope, having large families is a burden on not only those families, but on society as a whole. Every child needs hope and good parenting. Do large families offer either?
I'm hoping this post ignites some rancour and lively debate.
my husbands family had 12 boys and 5 girls in it, plus there were some miscarriages along the way, they had a large family because there was a family farm at the time, didn't have a tv, started when mum was young, the older ones helped out with the younger ones, moved to Auckland at a later date, quite stressful at times but still loved the closeness of having a big family, dad could be violent at times but still respected, died at an early age so younger children had to be brought up by brother and his wife, beautiful family
ReplyDeleteI guess the archetypal family unit is The Waltons yes??
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