Indeed, up to the prevalance of birth control in the last century, living with hordes of small humans was the default mode of existence for all humanity. Nowad

Indeed, up to the prevalance of birth control in the last century, living with hordes of small humans was the default mode of existence for all humanity. Nowadays it's rare to have more than 2-3 siblings. In the old days, everyone pretty much had older and younger siblings, and lots of them. So the "dealing with children" skill was well practised and common. I juxtapose that situation with myself. Although I had neices and nephews, I didn't spend any significant time with children until I had my own (late 30's). And wow what a shock! I had lived mostly for myself, for decades prior. All the work and responsibility for dealing with babies and toddlers was a real surprise. If I knew anything about kids, I'd long forgotten it. It's been one hell of a learning curve. My kids are really creative and clever. They can be kind and generous, they can be little fiends. They can be sweet as honey or ornery as can be. But they're PEOPLE. When you make kids you make PEOPLE. Miraculous and banal all at the same time.