Big Families and Prison

You can spend all your time making money
You can spend all your love making time
If it all fell to pieces tomorrow
Would you still be mine?

And when you're looking for your freedom
(Nobody seems to care)
And you can't find the door
(Can't find it anywhere)
When there's nothing to believe in
Still you're coming back, you're running back
You're coming back for more

So put me on a highway
And show me a sign
And take it to the limit one more time

Take it to the limit
Take it to the limit
Take it to the limit one more time.

~Take It to the Limit (The Eagles)

This week I have included a song by The Eagles in honor of Glenn Frey, who passed away this week. Randy Meisner (bass player) mostly wrote the song above (and actually was the lead singer), but Glenn Frey also contributed. 

This post is not as light and fluffy as some recent posts have been. As always, remember what I say about Carly Simon. If you think this post is about you, it isn't. I am not here to judge you on how many children you have, when you have them, where you have them, how you have them, or even why you have them. This is merely a stream of conscience babble about a newspaper article.

Earlier this week I read a newspaper article about a recently published academic paper that used a 33 year longitudinal study (basically meaning "over time") to conclude that children from "large" families are less likely to succeed in life. This of course got some people rather riled up and many undies were put in bunches. Scriptures were quoted ("Multiply and Replenish!"). Presidents of the LDS Church were quoted (1850s, 1950s, doesn't matter). Mind bogglingly bad math errors were perpetuated. (Supposedly the birth rate of LDS couples has declined by more than 75% in the last 30 years. Because general conference said so. I must have missed that session). So on and so forth.

I read the study and, honestly, I think it was grasping a little bit. The upper tail of their data was rather sparse (families with > 6 children comprised about 2% of the subjects, yet were critical to the authors' conclusions), and there was significant confounding with the education level of the mother (almost to the degree where it felt like that should have been their key conclusion).

Since most of you have not come here to learn the nitty-gritty of statistics, I will refrain from going into all the details. However, rest assured that just because you come from a family of nine children, it does not mean I think you are going to go to prison. (Although you probably would be used to sharing a room, so there could be benefits to being from a large family and being in prison).

Due to recent events cataloged in the blog, the whole question of "how many children will you have?" is one that I have had several people ask me. It is the new "let me pry into your life" question. For single people, the question is "Why are you not married yet?" and for married people the question is "Children: when, where, and how many?"

Let me clarify that what I say in the blog today is not a response to that question. Yes, I have a general number in mind, but quite frankly, it is none of your (or their) business. And besides, how in the world would I know the actual answer? Sometimes we act as if one "gets a baby" by going to WalMart and buying them on a price rollback. (Hint, that is not how it works). The climb is more difficult for some than it is for others. (A thing which I claim no personal experience in, yet find some to be head scratchingly unaware of). It is of course sort of silly of me to lecture about this topic when I myself have no children, so I will put the stopper in here.

As most of you are aware, I have fewer than 3 children, but more than one child, in my family (don't botch the math there Mr. 75% Decline). Upon occasion, this has prompted people to ask me "Why is this so?" Almost like I needed an excuse or something. Maybe I should tell these people that I used to have five sisters, but they are all in prison now and so we do not talk about them. I mean, what type of response are these people looking for? Do they want a detailed fiscal and medical history? Do they want me to just come right out and say we are wicked in my family? (I literally think that is what some people have wanted in fact). The best reply I have used recently is to inform the imprudent inquirer that my parents grew up when Harold B. Lee was president of the Church and he only had two children, so... fill in the rest. No one has known how to reply to that one.

All of this is not a slam on people with large families. I just do not come from a large family, hence the reason I am not sharing my perspective on coming from such. Several of my best friends in school came from large families in fact. (None of them are in prison by the way). They are all successful people, which is to be expected.

I will close with two comments from readers of the article I linked above.

I grew up in a family of seven children and LOVED it. There was always someone to play with, give advice, help with homework, and have your back. We have enough for a small team in backyard sports, and board games were always entertaining! Out of these seven children came 4 bachelor's degrees, a beauty school degree, two real estate school graduates, 22 magnificent children and counting, and one very happy and huge eternal family. I would not trade the big family I grew up with for all the world!

I grew up in a family of two children and LOVED it. My brother was always there to play with me, give advice, help with my homework, and have my back. We played backyard sports together and board games were a favorite activity. Out of the two of us, we both have (or are currently doing) doctoral degrees. Only I am married (My brother is still in his mid 20s though) and neither of us have any children. My family is a very happy and eternal family. I would not trade the small family I grew up with for all the world.

While this second one was probably said somewhat tongue in cheek (Interestingly, twice as many readers liked it as compared to the first comment), I thought it showed successful families can be large or small. It is the same old argument of qualitative versus quantitative. We are good at the one, not so good at the other.

Comment below if you want.