How do you explain all those Osmond boys?
Darling Marie was the only girl in a family with EIGHT sons. Each of those sons went on to have large families of their own, having mostly boys -- Donny has 5 boys, and Alan has 8 boys.
I have several articles on this site dealing with the odds of having a boy or a girl. Statistically, your odds of having a boy or a girl do not change, regardless of how many boys or girls you've previously given birth to. And a statistical study has shown that having boys or girls doesn't run in the family.
But you have to wonder -- 8 boys and 1 girl?
(Now I know you're saying, Maureen, there were only 6 Osmonds, being of course Wayne, Merrill, Jay, Donnie, Alan, and Little Jimmy. There were actually two older brothers, Virl and Tom, who were born nearly deaf; a cruel twist of irony.)
Take a look at their children (in order of most boys):
- Alan: 8 boys
- Donny: 5 boys
- Virl: 5 boys, 2 girls
- Merrill: 4 boys, 2 girls
- Tom: 4 boys, 3 girls
- Jay: 3 boys
- Wayne: 3 boys, 2 girls
- Jimmy: 2 boys, 2 girls
Three sons had ONLY boys, the rest had more boys than girls, except Jimmy, who had 2 of each. None had more girls than boys. The total? 34 boys to 11 girls, or 75% boys.
(Marie also has 8 children, 5 of whom are adopted, but I couldn't find their genders.)
Usually, when I hear someone talking about how boys "run in the family," they're mentioning cases of 2 boys here, 3 or 4 boys there. But this is a sample of 45 kids!
Alan's sons perform together as the "Osmonds 2nd Generation", and the 4 youngest sons have recorded albums as "The Osmond Boys". Where do I buy a lunchbox?!