On how many babies to have

I know I said I would answer premium subscriber reader q in the next free issue, but I wanted to address this emotionally intimate question here in the emotional intimacy letter.

A cherished premium subscriber writes:

"Ok this is a wildly personal question but: how did you decide to have a second kid? I know from years of reading that the first was not-so-planned. I’m turning 35 and kind of losing my mind with indecision about whether it’s feasible to raise any child in the city/under climate change/without vast inherited wealth and with both parents trying to establish creative industry careers. Feels like this will not be the only collapse of society we face? But babies are adorable, my maternal instincts are high, and it does seem like a magical experience ..."