Outside of loving and attentive parents, there is nothing more beneficial to a child’s development than having many siblings. 

That said, according to the Brookings Institution, arguably America’s most prestigious think-tank, the number of “births [in America] have been steadily trending downward between 2016 and 2022.”  This, according to ABC News, echoes a larger trend in which the global fertility rate is expected to fall below replacement levels between 2050 and 2100, which means the international population will begin declining. 

This alarms me. I come from a family of five kids – three older brothers and my younger sister – and it is by far the biggest blessing in my life. Having many siblings increases patience, improves communication skills and makes it easier for one to become a man or woman for others. 

I’m in a unique position in the sibling order. Having three older brothers gives me the opportunity to learn from their mistakes without facing the embarrassment of committing them myself (though, I somehow end up in a recurring conversation with my oldest brother Johnny in which he tells me, “Yep, been there before”). Furthermore, any questions I have on school, politics or social life always have three readily available, often extremely opinionated, answers waiting for me. 

Additionally – and in an admittedly corny fashion – I’ve always had three role models to aspire to emulate. Like most naive younger siblings, for the first seven years of my life I was unable to believe the idea that my brothers were flawed. In my eyes, any joke I made that they found slightly amusing became the highlight of my day. 

I recognize now that my brothers have many shortcomings, but I think it is really beneficial that I began my life with a perception that the boys closest to me were intrinsically good. 

Similarly, having a little sister has fulfilled a desire I believe is pervasive among boys in large families to protect younger siblings from dangers or discomforts. Any time I heard she had a bad day or needed help with homework, I was allowed to be her role model for a moment. 

Having to translate the lessons I learned from my brothers, which were often conveyed through jokes told at my expense, to a little sister who was more sensitive than I was taught me how to effectively critique without damaging relationships. 

In relation to Brophy, having a large family directly ties with the concept of being a man for others. Siblings require sacrifice, and in my experience (without having ever known anything different) a greater number of brothers and sisters demands more sacrifice. 

Both my parents work full-time, so oftentimes Johnny drove us to soccer practices or ballet rehearsals on weekday nights. When I invariably had a question about basic multiplication in elementary school, my brothers Andy and Danny were there to explain. Every time I needed to learn a new dance move for musical theater, my sister Sophie patiently taught me. Very rarely did they complain, because in a big family like ours, collaboration between siblings is expected. 

I recognize that some parents fear having many children dilutes the amount of attention they can give to individual kids. I strongly disagree with this sentiment. There is value and comfort in having to share the spotlight. My parents are noticeably more inquisitive about my life now than they were when my brothers lived at home, and I always feel slightly guilty when I tell them nothing extraordinarily interesting happened to me on a given school day. 

All in all, if potential parents were seeking advice from a 16 year old boy regarding the amount of children they should have, I truly believe in “the more the merrier.”