How many kids are too many? [View all]

[hyphenate]

I know that it often depends on situations, such as being rural or urban setting, whether you have enough money to raise them and so on, but for the ordinary human being, does there come a point where it becomes difficult to care about all the kids in the same fashion?

Let's say you have enough money to raise a bunch, but would you love them all equally, in the same way?

Are there different levels parents have their kids on, in terms of "love?" I never had kids, but I have seen some parents favor one child over another.

I ask because I was watching something last night and there was a couple who had two kids, and then their third turned out to be a special needs kid, and all the attention turned to that one, and it seemed, even though it was only segments of their lives, that attention went less to the older two children as a result of the third one's need for more care and attention.

I was first in a family of four kids, and it seemed to me that my brother and I might have gotten more attention simply because we were around longer, but my two younger siblings seemed to have more--well, issues. My sister of course abused (and continues to abuse) alcohol and drugs, and my younger brother was arrogant and nasty (even though he suffered brain trauma in a car accident and requires care, he still has that nastiness right under the surface, and begins to strike out at everyone if he doesn't get his way).

I know some people shouldn't have any at all, but should a family realize their limitations and stop after a couple?