One night after a date Joe and Mary sat in his car outside her family home, talking for the first time of a more serious relationship or marriage.
How many children they should have was the first question, so birth control came up. Both agreed on birth control, not to have too many children in today’s changing world.
Mary said she was working and didn’t want to be a stay-at-home mother. Plus, the number of children in her parents’ family negatively impacted her mother, and she and her five brothers and sisters. Two, maybe, maybe three children, was common sense.
Joe said he didn’t have a high-paying job to support a big family, and because of the changing economy they’d be in trouble with too many children if he lost his job. Businesses were moving today.
Or, Mary said, if I lost my job. Doesn’t matter, whether it was you or I losing work.
Mary then said neither would be able to give many children the time each needed with both working if they had even three kids. If one child had a handicap, as Joe’s brother Sam did, it would be a problem. Two with problems would be very serious.
Then, Mary said quietly, what if we separated or divorced? It happens a lot today.
Joe was quiet. Mary was quiet.
One night after a date Joe and Mary sat in his car outside her family home, talking for the first time of a more serious relationship or marriage.
Tom Fallon, Rumford
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