Mumsnet Talk

When did they find time or energy for sex???
Why did that other woman want a ten bedroom house when she clearly couldn't keep clean the one she had?
Anyone tried one of that blokes pies? They look delicious.

No idea how they find the energy or time to DTD tbh. I am totally f*cked and I've only got two DC!!!

Hard to keep a 4 bedroom house clean when it's full of 11 children and their stuff. That poor woman looked so worn down and depressed

Same here and I've only got five but to be fair one is 19 and left home.

Agree with Maja really. I felt sorry for Mohammed's wife. She did look really run down and fed up with it all. If I had to look at the state of the house with hardly any space I'd be the same I think. It cannot be easy keeping a house tidy with so many children running daft.

But why keep having kids with so little space? UI don't get it.

I don't expect she had a choice about how many children, she was married off to him at 16. Hope she's taking the pill in secret for her own sake. I am a clean freak but no way would I be able to keep a 4 bed with all those dc and their stuff clean.

I got the impression that having all the children was Mr Salim's idea, and his wife didn't have much say in it.

I was going to write what needforbrandy did but she's saved me the trouble. Poor woman looked miserable and its not surprising. So far as I could tell she did all the cooking, washing and general organising and he did nothing but play with the kids, control the money and drive the mini bus.

As for the family with 16 kids I am to put it simply in awe.

I'm sure the Salims were on TV a few years ago. I remember the midwife seeming very unimpressed with Mohammed's blasé attitude to his wife struggling with her last pregnancy. The Radfords seem amazing!

The radfords rock! His pies look immense and they come across as such a lovely family. How they do it, I've no idea! I think dad should be chancellor he's clearly good at a budget!

As for the salims, I've a feeling she was married off to a man who she thought would be able to provide a certain standard but for one reason or another it didn't end up like that. I did feel sorry for her, she looked like she had just had enough. But she's right he should go for any job.

Mr Salims attitude stinks.

I like the Radfords but I do wonder if the kids can possibly get enough individual attention.

"but I do wonder if the kids can possibly get enough individual attention."

On one of the clips last night, there was two children fighting over a toy and one was in tears very upset, yet Sue was sitting there with the baby not doing anything. I tend to stop what I'm doing to console the child who's upset. Shows from that very clip that she's not able to give each child the attention they really deserve when they feel pushed out like that. I felt really sorry for many of the children, even if it is evident from the programme that they're all very well kept and fed well. How can you possibly give that many children one to one?!

I really felt sorry for Mohammed's wife too! He clearly loves his children but I think he's taken his quest to not have his children lonely as he was to far. He clearly isn't thinking about the practicalities and I always wonder if the men of these supersized family understand the risks of multiple pregnancies. The drain on the body, the pain, the risk of prematurity etc and god forbid what happens to the rest of the family if something happens to the mum in childbirth.

Mrs Salim looked like she couldn't believe she had such poor luck having married someone who supposedly had brains, but who's landed them in such a poor position I thought he was very immature. I hope she's on birth control she looked knackered.

DH and I were watching it and discussing how much individual attention the children got in the Radley household. I'm possibly sticking my neck out here and misreading the little we saw of their lives but it seemed to be the older girls who were left to comfort/cuddle the younger ones whilst mum and dad ran the house with military precision.

Am in awe of their energy levels though

Mr. Salim is an arse. Seems most of his children have a higher mental age than he does.

Happier than most large families on TV evidence

I always wonder if the men of these supersized family understand the risks

I assume they do, but aren't sufficently bothered. Their need/desire to carry on having baby after baby is clearly stronger than their concern for their body or for the furture.

Same goes for the women though, assuming they have a choice in the matter.

I felt really sorry for Mrs Salim, she looked so broken and fed up. Mr Salim just didn't seem to be taking things seriously. All of them squished in that little house. We have 4 of us in a 2 bed and its snug but I manage to keep it clean and tidy, that poor woman is fighting a losing battle in that house!

The Radfords seem nice but u just don't believe that the children can have all the attention they need. And they want more! Her body surely can't go through many more pregnancies.

Gah - lack of proofreading!

...concern for their wife's health or for the future

I don't imagine it has that much imact of the men's bodies (unless they work themselves to death trying to keep up with it all I suppose).

Mr. Salim seemed like a fruitcake. How can he consider more children, without a job and he lives in a shit tip with no organisation at all?

The Radfords are different in that they work as a team, the house is tidy etc but those dc don't get the attention they deserve. Last night it showed I think Oscar on the floor crying whilst someone was seeing to Caspar. It's not fair.

There is something odd about not being satisfied with the children you have and the need to keep churning them out.

totally agree with irnbruthenoo. very well kept children considering the amount of them but with 3 you can be spreading yourself thin at times!

that mr salim wife looked so depressed poor woman. there house was mingin though!!

What got me is Mr Salim saying why should someone with a PhD driveca taxi. erm to pay for the 11 kids you have. I havevthe upmost respect for the Radfords they hsd their first at a very young age and still seem in love and it is their joint choice to have that many kids.

"There is something odd about not being satisfied with the children you have and the need to keep churning them out."

Agree with this entirely, everlong. It was so obvious that each child was not getting the attention they needed. I appreciate that siblings fight and carry on with each other (my two do!) but they don't seem to do anything with the children they've already produced!