Photograph: David Malosh

Dear Old Schooler: I’m 38, and I have a four-year-old, two-year-old triplets and a six-month-old girl. I’m worried I might get pregnant again. How do I tell my husband that this needs to stop?—Exhausted in Forest Hills, Queens

Israel Valle, 71, Upper West Side
Ay, mamma mia! You know that having a lot of children in New York City is a really terrible idea. I had three kids when I was 19 years old: one girl, two boys. I taught them very good things—like to respect the elderly and to go to church. But some young people nowadays, they don’t care because the government takes care of them. A lot of husbands want more children; if the father’s got good money and a good house, it’s no problem. But when the person doesn’t have a good job, he shouldn’t have more children. I say be very direct with your husband. Sit him down and say, “I don’t want any more children! Stop! Stop the music!” Oh, mamma mia.

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