I have 4 children 15, 12, 8 and 4. I was a stay at home mum for the best part of 10yrs but have recently got a part time job. The thing is im 37 but look really young for my age, it really bothers me and actually is starting to affect my daily life. I feel like ive hidden away in my own little bubble for so long and now i almost feel embarrased to be me. I think because i look young i avoid telling people i have 4 children. There reaction is always the same, it like shock and horror and why wpuld you kind of reaction...I feel so bad for saying this but i almost feel embarrassed. We have all these young uni students at work that have there whole lives panned out and i just feel like ive done nothing. Maybe i sound self absorbed but i feel like my confidence has taken a massive knock. I just woundered if anybody else had ever felt this way...
Find out all about large family cars, holidays and more right here.
Larger families
I'm pregnant with my 4th and I'm 29. Only just over 12 wks though, so it isn't coming knowledge.
The first was a surprise at 19, and then j got married and went on to have the others. I studied and worked hard between DC1 and DC2 to get a good career, and now I work in patient-facing role 3 days a week. I gets lots of "you have THREE kids? You don't look old enough to have one!" and one patient last year who flat out refused to believe I was 28 
.
I don't suit a lot of make up (I'm crap at it), and I'm quite petite, so I think that's what does it.
A lot of uni students aren't thinking about family planning. Most are thinking about career progression, travelling etc. I think it's great that they have goals and things that they want to achieve, but it doesn't make what you've achieved any less.
Also, while it's great that they have lots of ideas , they have largely been untempered by reality. So they might think that they'll graduate, go travelling for a year, come back to dozens of job offers in rewarding careers with good pay, meet the man of their dreams, get married 3 years later, get big promotion enabling them to work part time for a full time wage, have 2.4 kids while becoming a "yoga-mum" (my sister's aspiration) etc.... They're young an enthusiastic, and have every right to be. You have every right to be equally as enthusiastic about your future.
There are people out there who would love to have 4 kids who love them and a husband.
To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.