Why does meiosis need to change the chromosome number before ual reproduction?

The chromosome number is halved during meiosis so when fertilization occurs, the original number is restored. For example, humans have 46 chromosomes. If the number wasn't halved, when two people produced a child, it would have 92 chromosomes (46 from the mother, 46 from the father). When the child had children, they could have 138 chromosomes (if the other parent had 46) or 184 (if the other parent had 92). The number would increase with each generation. On the other hand, if both parents have 46 chromosomes and the number was halved (23), when fertilization occured, the number in the offspring would be 46 (23 from each parent). So the number stays the same through the generations.