Why do large families(6 -more children per family) tend to decry, even devalue

1. 83

   gmwilliamsposted 9 years ago

   Why do large families(6 -more children per family) tend to decry, even devalue
   
   academic, educational, & other types of intellectual achievement & acumen as opposed to small families (1-2 children per family)who usually prize & value academic, educational & intellectual achievement?
   
   

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2. 65

   Tusitala Tomposted 9 years ago

   Could it possibly be that those with the larger families have more expenses due to having so many children to feed and clothe and just don't have the money or time to (1) To create an intellectual learning environment.
   (2) The parents - and their parents - weren't exposed to academics and 'other types of intellectual improvement' therefore the motivation isn't there.
   
   Children learn mostly by following the example of those who are around them:  academic, studious parents engender the same in their offspring.   Those parents with only one or two children are more likely to have the time to present this type of example.

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   1. 83

      gmwilliamsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      This is SO TRUE. In  large families,inordinate emphasis is placed upon mere instinctive survival and anything else seems quite superfluous. In large families, the MAIN thing is just providing for the rudiments, if they are lucky.  Great answer!

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3. 56

   retief2000posted 9 years ago

   This generalizations stands in perfect opposition to all of my own experience with every large family with which I have had contact. Perhaps it transcends mere numbers. I would suggest it depends on generation, culture, religion, educational expectations of parents and education level of parents.
   
   As a product of 1960's and 70's Catholic education, I have known families from all races, many different countries and of all sizes. I suspect it has far more to do with material expectations, societal and cultural influences and parental expectations than number of children.
   
   This "all swans are white" type generalization is a distortion that does not lead to understanding. A college education is hardly a guarantor of moral superiority or a meaningful and successful life. I know several people who were born and raised in large families who have never experienced the intellectual privations in your stereotype, on the contrary, the children of those families are ALL college educated or gainfully employed in skilled trades. They are educators, business owners, medical professionals, electricians, plumbers, sheet metal workers, civil servants, etc... The previous generation also came from large families and were college educated, skilled tradesmen or civil servants. All were intact families with parents who remained married their entire lives and married after completing secondary school and before having children.
   
   I am certain that merely relying on the number of children and ignoring the tapestry of human experience leads to poor social science.

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4. 59

   C.V.Rajanposted 9 years ago

   Tusitala Tom has already answered the question and I agree with him definitely on the first point.
   
   It is my opinion that well educated and achievement oriented parents know the significance and advantage of a small family. Naturally, few of such people will have 6 or more children.
   
   Probably, since the "achievement" of parents of large families is limited to producing more children, other achievements are not worthy for them!!

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   1. 83

      gmwilliamsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      EXCELLENT ANSWER, RIGHT YOU ARE! It is usually the unintelligent & uneducated who have large families.  Intelligent & well educated people have small families as they know its benefits to the family unit overall.

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