I was so surprised when I was growing up in a family of 7 children, at the comments that were leveled at our family.  There was a trend at that time to have smaller families, and people made all kinds of rude remarks.  One of their assumptions was that it was an awful lot of work to take care of 7 children.  What they didn't understand was the inner workings of the family.  By the time the 5th one was born, the first 4 were fairly independent and knew the ways of the house.  The older ones could cook and clean house.  They often entertained the little ones.  As the eldest, I started the youngest on reading lessons.  It is fun for the older ones to do grown up things like this, and those outsiders peeking in, do not understand this.  After I married, I was blessed with only 3, but still received the rude remarks about children and family.   Marriage is held in contempt, and families in derision.  Isn't it awful?