My response to personal questions depends very much on who is doing the asking. If it’s a family member or friend then I just answer the question honestly — because I am going to keep seeing them and they are just going to keep asking. Easiest to just nip it in the bud.
Questions from strangers, acquaintances and colleagues are going to strike us all differently. I agree with a previous post that often these inquiries are just to make conversation or to get to know you better. The children question would not bother me but if it did I see nothing wrong with simply saying “that’s a personal question that I am not comfortable discussing.” I don’t understand getting all outraged over it, just let them know you aren’t engaging on the subject and move on. Hopefully they will get the message.
The only question that I have often been on the receiving end of that irritates me somewhat is “what does your husband do for a living?” It irritated me when I was at home raising my children and continues to irritate me now that I am back in the workforce. It’s always from someone who barely knows me and has never met my H, so I just don’t get where it comes from. I get it from both men and women. I’m not entirely sure why it ruffles me but it makes me feel vaguely sidelined, especially in a professional environment. I usually just answer the question rather than escalate and appear defensive or touchy.