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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Do you judge people with loads of kids?

247 replies

AureliusS · 12/02/2025 09:45

I have three primary aged SC, one DS and am pregnant. We look like a genetically related family when we’re together.

None of my friends have more than two children and in my demographic (late 30s, university graduate, higher taxpayer) it seems to be very rare. Certainly nobody I’ve met in baby classes has more than three and even three is rare.

I sometimes feel like people assume we are either on benefits or very rich rather than a regular average family and judge us based on that. AIBU to feel this way?

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IVFmumoftwo · 17/02/2025 18:00

Estampie · 17/02/2025 17:46

It might well be, but that doesn't necessarily translate into a good life for their children.

Well no, but it one explanation for why they do it.

Estampie · 17/02/2025 17:46

IVFmumoftwo · 17/02/2025 14:27

It might be the only positive thing in their lives

It might well be, but that doesn't necessarily translate into a good life for their children.

dorathexplorer · 17/02/2025 16:41

I understand that for some women it can be seen as a positive thing - new baby with new relationships and let's be honest there's a lot of that in certain sectors. From what I see on a daily basis though it doesn't look positive to me - lack of financial stability, the cost of children, bring stuck at home due to inability to secure suitable employment. A family member works with this sector and one of the things they try to tackle is the lack of self confidence and belief that are sometimes common in these women.

IVFmumoftwo · 17/02/2025 14:27

dorathexplorer · 17/02/2025 11:54

I do wonder why it is often the people who can least afford it who have such large families.

It might be the only positive thing in their lives

dorathexplorer · 17/02/2025 11:54

I do wonder why it is often the people who can least afford it who have such large families.

RoundSquareWithTriangles · 16/02/2025 14:11

Honestly, yes because I'm from a large family and don't feel any of us got adequate support and love growing up. I think it gets to a certain point where nobody can support that number of children, no matter how good their intentions.

JHound · 14/02/2025 11:23

ByMerryKoala · 14/02/2025 11:11

It's certainly observationally true that a third of births in the UK last year were born from foreign born women. Native Brits, of all races, account for fewer children born in this country each year.

I think that is important, there is something to our culture and policies that is having a sterilising effect on the population and we need to be clear about what that is.

Having a foreign mother does not stop somebody being either white and /or a native Brit. (They could all have white “ethnically British” fathers for all you know.

But that comment was clearly racist. I don’t know why you are caping for it.

Maybe there is nothing about “white ethnically British culture” that is “sterilising” and “white ethnic Britons are simply in line with a global trend of people choosing to have fewer children.

But to call somebody “brainwashed” for choosing to have one child and suggesting they have a moral duty to increase “white ethnically British” population figures is racist.

Also who said that commenter was “white ethnically British”?

ByMerryKoala · 14/02/2025 11:20

I don't think you'd find that my children have noticeably different upbringings though. 😁

PurpleChrayn · 14/02/2025 11:19

I'm an Orthodox Jew so no! I'm unusual in my community for only having two. If anything, I'm judged more than women with 6+ children.

ByMerryKoala · 14/02/2025 11:17

Average is 1.44 now

ahdlfj · 14/02/2025 11:12

I think 3+ is large these days. Parenting is more hands on these days, family communities smaller, both parents often working, more expensive raising children and higher expectations from life. Plus just statistically because of the prevalence of birth control, isn't the average 1.7 now or something? Children in 3+ families will have noticeably different upbringings I think. Growing up 3 was quite common, but most of the people I grew up with only have 1-2 children.

ByMerryKoala · 14/02/2025 11:11

JHound · 14/02/2025 10:49

Cool racism dude.

It's certainly observationally true that a third of births in the UK last year were born from foreign born women. Native Brits, of all races, account for fewer children born in this country each year.

I think that is important, there is something to our culture and policies that is having a sterilising effect on the population and we need to be clear about what that is.

IVFmumoftwo · 14/02/2025 10:50

I am one of seven. Three isn't large and we are hoping to use our last embryo to finish the family. Also I think the two child cap is stupid because that isn't a lot of children. Maybe four + would have been a better cut off.

JHound · 14/02/2025 10:49

Frostywinterwoods · 13/02/2025 21:48

Wtaf!??? You do know that white British natives are declining don't you. Because of 💩 Brainwashing like this. The state money is there for a reason and it's paid in by everyone

Cool racism dude.

JHound · 14/02/2025 10:48

I don’t consider 3/4 children “loads of kids”.

I judge parents who cannot be arsed to parent and let their kids run wild. But I would never judge “large” families. (Unless they are having the taxpayer pay for their lifestyle choice. But then I would also view people who had one child on benefits.)

I was one of four. If anything I am rather envious.

ByMerryKoala · 14/02/2025 10:26

No, I have three and it's a doddle. It doesn't meet my definition of large.

Laoise542 · 14/02/2025 10:19

I really don't think 3 families is large is it? I'm one of 3, I certainly wouldn't classed myself as coming from a big family!

I don't judge, quite frankly it seems if anything outwith the stereotypical 2 kids, 2 years you are judged for it. Parents are told they are selfish for having one child or more than two. Having a big age gap and they won't get on or play together and have them too close together then it isn't fair on the child. We just can't win as parents!

CandidRaven · 14/02/2025 10:09

I have 4 myself so no 😅

PenneyFouryourthoughts · 14/02/2025 09:55

@Frostywinterwoods I'm sorry, I'm missing your point? Can you expand? Because you sound a bit racist.

L0309 · 13/02/2025 22:07

I don’t judge them but I do question their sanity though 😂

Frostywinterwoods · 13/02/2025 21:48

PenneyFouryourthoughts · 12/02/2025 09:51

I make no judgment. I admire you for coping tbh! As long as you aren't expecting the state to pay for them all, I'm cool. I have one, and that's enough for me.

Wtaf!??? You do know that white British natives are declining don't you. Because of 💩 Brainwashing like this. The state money is there for a reason and it's paid in by everyone

septemberremember · 13/02/2025 20:35

Generally though I am an anomaly in my NCT group with my huge family of two. No one else went on to have another which is strange really. But I do find most big families have a different lifestyle to me. I don’t judge them but equally don’t have much in common with them.

septemberremember · 13/02/2025 20:33

CherryPopShowerGel · 12/02/2025 09:59

I do a little tbh. More because of the number of times I've come across families that have really bitten off more than they can reasonably chew and the kids suffer as a result. Even one child takes an enormous amount of time and energy and resources to raise properly, and with each new baby it takes parental time and energy away.

If someone is capable of having 3+ children while all of them are still thriving, getting quality time with parents, being read to and listened to, able to access activities, then that's great, but it's not that common.

The families where I've seen it work alright are when there's a pretty big gap. But with smaller gaps it just seems very unfair to the existing children to keep adding babies when the existing child is still very young and needs a lot of time. It's honestly heartbreaking seeing a 2yr old have to grow up overnight and accept they can't have as much time with mummy and daddy as they used to because the new baby needs so much care. A lot of behavioural problems tend to come out.

But overall, each to their own, certainly in some countries having 5+ kids is the norm. But when kids in big families move into adulthood you do hear a lot about how they felt ignored and suffocated, didn't have enough time or space, weren't able to do the things they wanted to do.

Doesn’t this just mean you judge anyone with more than one child with an age gap of less than three years, or multiple births, though?

threelittlescones · 13/02/2025 20:12

Eenameenadeeka · 12/02/2025 22:48

we have 4, and 4 is definitely the number where people start to think you are crazy haha. My husband has actually had people ask when he said the ages of our children (we had 2, then a gap and then 2 more) and people have asked him if they all have the same mum.. so I guess some people do judge when a Dad has a "second" family, even though in your case it sounds like his ex is the reason for the split I guess people might be judging that situation..

We have 4 and people definitely act like we've lost our minds! But we're used to it because they've been doing it ever since we had twins and then announced we were expecting our third child. People seemed utterly baffled why we would have another child when we already had "one of each". I found it quite annoying actually because ever since the twins were born we'd been hearing comments like "Oh one of each, that's your family complete then!" Like it was some sort of bingo card to fill or something.

When we told people we were expecting our fourth, their heads popped off completely.

ByMerryKoala · 13/02/2025 19:59

Do you know in 2024 there were only 15 families in the UK with 13+ children?

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