dlish, 13 kids weren't many in most countries two generations ago. I know a LOT of people my parents age who were one of 8-15, and many more my grandparents age that were one of even more. Today, however, there are a lot of socio-economic reasons NOT to have so many kids. Some are micro, such as affording one kid or three, let alone a dozen or more. Some are macro, such as thinking about pollution and food supplies as well as population control and overcrowding. Personally, I only wanted two kids, one to replace me and one to replace my wife. Since I had a child with another woman 13 years ago, it looks like I'll end up with 3. I'm not a fan of that idea, but we're hoping for a daughter (which I don't have) so maybe it'll be okay. I think having more than 3 kids is socially irresponsible. I think having 18, in modern days, is utterly reprehensible.
As for large families, I don't know that I agree with you. Here in the States, at least in Michigan, most people think "large family" and equate it to a large non-primary family. Many cousins, aunts/uncles, et cetera. I don't personally know many people my age who have more than 1 or 2 siblings. but many of them have many cousins and are close to them. In that light, most people seem to think highly of large families. My wife and I want a large family. We'd LIKE a lot of kids. But we both don't think it's actually such a good idea. So, we'll hope for many grandchildren (2-3 per child of ours works great). Maybe if we live long enough to see our great grandchildren, there'll be a lot more of them
