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family evaporating

the journal of Michael Werneburg

twenty-seven years and one million words

I've noticed something: our family's withering away. Fully nine people in my "generation", on both sides of the family, did not have kids. And if I go back to my parents' generation, I find another nine!

At present, there are two second-cousins in my generation on my mum's side who have kids. I've seen only one of those two in the past thirty years, I'm not sure the other would know I exist. On my dad's side, neither my brother nor either of my two cousins have had kids.

I have to go to the step-families to find more children. From the branch in my grandfather's second wife, there is one child in my kids' generation, though I'm much older than my generation there, and it's likely there will be some more kids. It's only on the branch from my dad's second wife that there are a "normal" amount of kids. Everyone in my generation had children - my step-mother had three kids, and there are eight grandchildren.

Having had two children, I've certainly done my bit. But setting aside step-families, the bloodline has sure gotten .. slender.