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In Lois Lowry's The Giver, how do family units acquire a second child?

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In Lois Lowry's The Giver, a family unit may receive a second child by going through an application process for one. Unlike our world, in which biological mothers often raise their own children, the Community within the novel has assigned "birth mothers" who are responsible for producing up to three children. However, these women are not tasked with the lifelong duty of taking care of their own progeny, and the infants are instead cared for in a facility by Nurturers who ensure that they are of the appropriate age and health level before they are passed along to their family unit. 

Additionally, it is important to note that each family unit can not contain more than two children; caps are placed on these numbers in order to regulate and keep uniform the Community.

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Each family unit is made up of a mother and father who do not repopulate together. Young women are assigned to be birth mothers and they are allowed to have three children each. They are fed well and taken care of, but after having a child, the mothers go into hard labor, such as working in the agricultural fields. Meanwhile, the new children go to stay in a building together for their first year as they are weighed and monitored by Nurturers like Jonas's father. Parental units must apply for new children before they receive one. Jonas mentions that his friend's parents waited a long time before they applied for a second child because Asher was such a handful when he was young.

"Asher poked Jonas's arm. 'Remember when we got Phillipa?' he asked in a loud whisper. Jonas nodded. It had only been last year. Asher's parents had waited quite a long time before applying for a second child. Maybe Jonas suspected, they had been so exhausted by Asher's lively foolishness that they had needed a little time" (43).

Family units do not apply to have more than two children, though. Everything is standardized, measured, and strictly regulated in the society. As a result, families are kept small in order to keep each other in check and following the rules of the community.

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How do families receive a second child in The Giver?

Family units must make an application and be approved by the Committee in order to get a second child.  If the application is approved, the unit receives their second child at the annual year-end Ceremonies.  "Newchildren" are all raised in common by Nurturers from the time they are born until the first Ceremony after their first birthday.  If, during this time, they make a satisfactory "adjustment" and are not "released", they are assigned to one of that year's approved family units and presented at the Ceremony.  The family units have no say in which child they will receive, and they do not know of the selection until the child is actually presented to them in front of the Community.  The selection of the child is carefully performed by the Committee, which weighs both the child's and the family unit's characteristics before making the assignments.

Family units are limited to two children maximum, one boy and one girl (Chapter 1).

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How do families receive children in The Giver?

They are assigned children.  They can have one of each sex, but no more.  And they have to be of each sex.  The children are not carried and born by the "mothers" -- there are "birth mothers" who get pregnant and give birth.  The babies are then cared for by Nurturers for a while before being assigned.

Before a family can be assigned to take care of children, they have to apply.  Then, they must be watched by the elders for a long time.  The elders have to be sure that they would be able to make a good home for the child -- that they would be good parents.

They usually get their children not too far apart in age, but there is no rule about that.

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