Comments on: Does “One Of Each” Mean Two Is Enough?

By: Pink Gifts

Pink Gifts — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 03:27:15 +0000

Commenting usually isnt my thing, but ive spent an hour on the site, so thanks for the info

By: Amber

Amber — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 07:25:03 +0000

We just had 1 girl. I want 2 more regardless of sex. If I could have it my way I’d have 5 but Hubby only wanted 2. We are pretty young, early 20’s.
My mother in law had 2 boys, the second was a surprise. My mom had 2 girls. My brother had only 1 boy. I have a friend who wants 2 girls and 2 boys if she could choose. In my family and all of the people I know it depends. But I do see the whole one boy, one girl thing a lot. Or to keep trying for one sex or the other.

By: Dave

Dave — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 18:03:05 +0000

One was enough for us. But we knew that before we even got married. I always said one or none.

By: much more than a mom

much more than a mom — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 22:18:57 +0000

I agree with Brit – how sad.

We have a boy and a girl and will be having one more regardless. We just feel like we’re meant to have three and would regret it if we don’t. We’re 90% sure anyway.

But, for families I know that aren’t us, I totally agree with your hypothesis.

much more than a moms last blog post..Seven Months – only five more until I have another toddler. Huh?

By: brit

brit — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 20:26:12 +0000

I think you are right…. I know a family with three girls, and the third girl was the “try for a boy” baby. Must be sad to be the “try for a boy” baby if you are a girl, or the “try for a girl” baby if you are a boy

By: SciFi Dad

SciFi Dad — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 19:37:35 +0000

Thanks for all the comments so far!

Some clarifications:

1. The hypothesis is based on more recent families. Of course, previous generations had more children for a variety of reasons, making the number three insignificant.

2. I intentionally ignored economics in my discussion. I wanted to explore the roots of the desire to have a third child rather than the reasons prohibiting it.

Thanks again. Keep the comments coming!

SciFi Dads last blog post..End Of An Era

By: Miss Britt

Miss Britt — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 19:33:05 +0000

Everyone I know who stopped at 2 (myself included), has one boy and one girl.

Miss Britts last blog post..In Which I Discuss My Weight. And Use Real Numbers.

By: Bec

Bec — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 19:19:07 +0000

Yep, my parents had two girls and a boy. For me, however, I’ll stop at two – even if we have two boys – for economical/career/age issues. I find that most of my friends, who are having kids in their mid-30s, are stopping at two for the same reasons.

By: The Mrs.

The Mrs. — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 17:38:15 +0000

I have 2 boys and we are not planning any more children (at least we are 99.9% sure there will be no more children). However, I am the youngest of 3 and have 2 brothers (I was not planned – 15 year age difference between me and my brothers). I have a co-worker who has 7 kids – all girls and one boy. The boy is somewhere in the middle of the pack of 7 though. My sister-in-law has 2 boys and they are also not planning for any more. I don’t know if this really helps with your theory but thought I would give you my two cents.

The Mrs.s last blog post..Token Economy

By: selena

selena — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 13:57:39 +0000

yup…we had the two boys and then tried for our third…a girl! I do think that if we had a boy and a girl, we may have been done too but now that we have three, I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way, even if she had been a he.

By: margaret

margaret — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 12:51:17 +0000

I have three daughters and we always get the question “so are you going to keep trying for a boy?”. No, girls are fine, although I must admit that I always wanted 4-6 kids. Husband was fine with 1…

We have a few friends with their oldest one of each who have gone on to have 4-5 kids. However, we have more friends who have all the same sex children or 2 girls, then their boy.

margarets last blog post..At the end…

By: Multi-Tasking Mommy

Multi-Tasking Mommy — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 11:10:21 +0000

I totally hear what you are saying that if you have two children, one boy and one girl, then you are more likely to be satisfied. However, I do also believe that number plays a huge part in it as well!

At this point, I still believe that whether or not we were having a boy or a girl this time around that we would have more if we either a) can afford to and b) decide to (for reasons other than gender).

Multi-Tasking Mommys last blog post..Widening Wednesday Week 32

By: Holly Tried It

Holly Tried It — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 10:35:39 +0000

Hmmm…that’s interesting. My husband comes from a family of two–one boy and one girl. I come from a family of four girls. My dad’s twin brother had 4 boys, a girl, and then 1 more boy. My husband’s sister has 4 children, but the first two were opposite gender. The more I think about this, the more I don’t think this is really accurate. At least not when I was growing up. Now? I don’t know.

Holly Tried Its last blog post..We Met Rachel Coleman at the Signing Time! Dreamcatcher’s Concert

By: Science-mom

Science-mom — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 07:50:15 +0000

We are always told it would have been better had we had “one of each” rather than twin boys. What rubbish! However,it seems that some families in the US do tend to practice sexual selection to get “one of each”, with preference towards boys ?f course. See previous post at
http://blogs.babiesonline.com/2008/04/04/are-asian-couples-practicing-sexual-selection/

By: Marisa

Marisa — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 02:45:57 +0000

I come from a family of 10 siblings and it went boy, girl, boy,girl, boy, girl…etc. so they didnt stop when they had one of each but I myself have one boy and one girl and it is automatically assumed that I am done, which I am because I physically cannot have anymore of my own but do plan on adopting

By: Mandy

Mandy — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 01:47:16 +0000

Evidence – My mom is one of 4 girls. My dad is one of 3 boys. My husband is the youngest, with an older brother and sister. A good friend is the youngest with an older brother and sister. (I’m part of a mixed family so I don’t count…. we’re his, hers and their’s, although there was a son and daughter already when I came along.) Good friend’s sister has 3 boys, and is more inclined to try once more for the girl instead of stopping at 3 kids.

By: Melissa H

Melissa H — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 01:22:51 +0000

My own family is myself the oldest and a girl and two younger brothers. So my parents had one of each and then had another… but I think it is important to note that my parents were in no way trying to have another… he just sort of came along:) I would point out though that my parents had the fewest children in my mothers catholic family, and all of her brothers and sisters had several boys before having one girl and being done with kids. I know that they were all trying for the girl.

By: Teresa

Teresa — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 00:06:18 +0000

Interesting! I can only think of one family with three that has an oldest daughter and two younger sons. All the rest with two or three kids have all boys or all girls.

By: Dawn

Dawn — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 00:01:51 +0000

Cool hypothesis, ScienceDad. I can’t speak from facts yet, but I am pregnant with a girl now and I do have to say I *might,* *might* be tempted to try for a boy if our second also winds up being a girl. (We definitely want two..no more, no less. LOL). Whereas, yup, if the second is a boy, I am sooo done for sure.

My husband is an only son of an only son of an only son (not sure how many generations) and while I don’t feel “pressure” per se to carry on the name, I do relish the opportunity to make his family so happy by carrying a boy next time.

We were discussing this last weekend in fact, and I decided we can just have a really headstrong daughter who insists on keeping her maiden name, right? Funny how that option never comes up when people discuss “having a boy to carry on the family name.”

Dawns last blog post..The Bunko Babes, A Review