Dear Baya,

                  I realize that I could have had children four or five years ago – yet I didn’t. I know that my parents could have had over ten children, but they only had Rosa and me. I know that you’ve studied the questions of why people want and have many or few children. Could you tell me what you’ve found out?

     This seems pretty important not just at the level of my own life, but for the planet. The world population still seems to be galloping ahead. Most people have lots or few children because of things other than birth control campaigns it seems. What alters their feelings will make a huge difference in my generation?

     I’ve never really understood why people seem so desperate to have as many children as possible. But when I think about it, I suppose you need them to look after you when you are old or sick if there is no pension system or free health care. Is that right? And if most of the work in the fields is done by human labour, then the more children the better?

      So maybe it’s the other way round. Maybe the question is why we don’t seem to need or want many children? When I talk to many of my friends, they say they don’t want to have children; the pain, the dirty nappies, the end of a career for a while, the expenses. So let other people have children which they can pet. And talking of pets, wouldn’t it be simpler and cheaper to keep a dog or cat?

      So do let me know about this very biological yet social thing. And, again, please keep it light and no statistics please!

             Lots of love,