He grew up hating having to wear his older brothers' hand-me-downs. One year they were so poor; they ate most of their meals from the elementary school dumpster. He wanted to ensure that his children did not have to grow up in poverty. In his mind, the only way to achieve this was; having only one child. I explained my desire to have at least 3 children. As a compromise we decided on two children. Because of the loneliness I felt as a child without siblings, this compromise satisfied me because at least 2 is better than 1. Being an only child didn't have much of an impact on my life in my 20s or 30s. I guess it was nice for my kids, since they were the only grandchildren in the family. They certainly were crazy. It would have been fun to have a brother who had kids. I have no real nieces or nephews. Of course, I have family members that I call grandchildren. They are not my blood relatives, however, and I imagine the bond would be stronger if they were