My husband and I grew up as onlies. I would not wish being an "only" on my worst enemy--but, that is my take on the situation, maybe there are others who really did enjoy it. My kids enjoy each other and are extremely close. It is a comfort to know they have such a strong bond since they lack aunts and uncles and cousins to fill the role extended family normally would.

I often catch flak for having a larger family in an age of smaller, more stylish, and (laughably) "eco-friendly" families. Mainly, the flak comes from my own family (my father was a fan of Paul Ehlrich--insert eye rolling).

While I will admit, having children at a younger age so that I could provide them with siblings has been difficult in terms of achieving my own educational/career goals UP FRONT, it has been infinitely rewarding. I've managed to work and obtain a BS, so I'm not exactly suffering, anyway. I plan to go back to school (again) in a few years to become a pediatrician. My "career life" will officially start around the time my children enter high school/college.

I guess, to sum it up, there really IS more than one way to skin a cat. If you like large families, you CAN have one. If you want to have a large family early on and a career later--it is possible. The biggest myth is that one is better than the other or one makes the other impossible. This simply is not the truth.