I always dreamed of having 4 kids. After becoming a mom, I only want 1.

The author was from a large family and always assumed she would have multiple kids.

Now, it seems, she and her husband are one-and-done, and that's leaving her with mixed emotions.

Courtesy of Virginia Isaad.

I loved growing up in a big family and always thought I'd have multiple kids when I got older.

Now, I think my husband and I are one-and-done.

I love our life and our family, but I still mourn what could have been.

Growing up, I dreamed of one day having a big family, just like the one I came from.

My three siblings and I are all about two years apart in age.

I always loved that when we went to places like Disneyland, we were evenly split and that each of us always paired off with one of our siblings for playtime.

It gave me ease, the symmetry of it all meaning no one was ever left out.

As the eldest daughter in a Latino immigrant family, I was often given the responsibility of caring for siblings from a young age.

It.

It wasn't easy, but it fostered a caretaker role that made becoming a mom to many kids one day feel like a natural next step for me.

I had the same vision for my future family until I entered my 30s, met my would-be husband, and started making progress in my career.