PING!
What I found most difficult about raising children was battling the depraved culture throughout the years. Couldn’t let them out to play because we tend to allow pedophiles to roam the streets. Also had to fend off the public school rot by homeschooling and sacrificing to send them to private schools. Had to battle the carseats, yes, and the general preschool legions who set rules and regs for everything a mother ever did.
What I feel kept our family smaller was a lack of general extended family cohesiveness most of all. No one living nearby to help ...made child rearing a lot harder, made us less likely to want a huge brood. Just would have killed me to raise more than 3 all alone. Hubby also working way too hard and gone too much ...
I think it goes even deeper than they think.