I'm a mum of 6 AMA

[Ellomo]

Not sure if anyone would be interested but if anyone is feel free to ask i have 6 children, ages ranging from 15 to 1

When do you start shopping for Christmas?

Do you follow and watch tv shows like the Radfords etc?

JustAWaferThinMint that is one of the “funny” things people say to parents of larger families. It’s depressing. Why do you think that’s a good thing to say?

What’s your family income?

Do people honestly post their income on MN?

Er, that was kind of my point. Did you not see the tongue in cheek bit?

Are you Christians? Most large families I know are Christians!
Is your household income above or below £50k? I could not imaging having more than 2 children on under that amount and finishing it easy.

Do people honestly post their income on MN?

All the time! Anyway this is AMA, not ‘ ask me banal and easy to deflect questions’

We have an income of about 54,000 per year
Do you get morning sickness?
I do, the sickness itself could have been worse but it lasted for a larger majority of my pregnancies
Is it scary driving/parking the minivan?
Before this one I had a 7 seater, every time i get a bigger car its a little scary at first but I get used to it, I'm hoping this is the biggest car I'll ever own
How are the children distributed between bedrooms?
At the moment we have youngest in the smallest bedroom on her own, 2 girls sharing one room and 3 boys sharing another room.
Have you had any issues with spd op?
Luckily I haven't, I'm sorry you're experiencing this
How do you budget for Christmas?
We spend about £100 on each child, less when they're younger
Do you have a TV?
I've heard that one a few times but yes I do
The only people I know with large families like yours were given large sums of money/houses from relatives at some point. Were you?
No none of relatives are particularly well off
When do you start shopping for Christmas?
I tend to start around September or October
Do you follow and watch tv shows like the Radfords etc?
I seen the radfords on tv a bit but I'm not very fond of them honestly
Are you Christians?
Yes

What is it about the Radford family you dislike op?

Do you think you will move as the dc get older?

I think the Radfords are far more extreme. 6 isn’t huge.

I loved your post where you said that you rarely hear 'I'm bored' and that they all get along. I have four, and they are all like this. When one of them goes off, the others really miss that one. It's great as we do not need anyone else (friends who have one or two kids are often looking for play dates or say their kids fight a lot). I would have had two more (don't like odd numbers) and the kids ask for more but we decided against it as our eldest has ASD (I gave up work to take him to his daily therapies) and I had to have 4 c-sections.

I absolutely love having a tribe! Whilst we are comfortable, the kids aren't spoilt and know how to share. I think this is an upside to a big family.

How long does your patience last each day? I tend to last until 6pm, and then I run out of energy (am quite a smiley and positive person).

Is your DH a big help? Mine does breakfast and bedtimes every day, and is very hands on. I would really struggle if he didn't, tbh.

Bravo, super mama. 👏

No questions atm, but I was one of five and loved it (all born within 6 years). Always someone to play with, never bored. When I was around 13, I had a friend who used to ring me for a chat every evening, who just had one brother, and I was always keen to get off the phone because things were always happening in our house. And one day when I said I had to go, she said "could you just leave the phone on the side, so I can at least listen to you all?" and it made me think it must be bloody lonely to live in a quiet house!

Even today, my siblings are my best friends and we talk to each other constantly. I couldn't have got through my difficult times without them. Im always envious of big families.

Hi OP,
I'm a mum and stepmum of five, aged 8,7,4,10months,10months. The elder three are step children and, while things have gone very well so far, giving each enough individual attention is something which really worries me. Bit of a complicated situation as I wasn't living with DP for very long prior to the twins and so I've gone from having no DC to looking after five in a relatively short space of time and feel a bit out of my depth. HOW exactly do you ensure they all get enough individual attention.
Thanks

How do you manage work/childcare

Random question...do you have a tumble dryer?

How big is your washing machine op?

How long does your patience last each day?
By the time tea time is over all my patience is gone
Is your DH a big help?
He his, I don't know what I'd do without his help, his patience lasts much longer than mine too
HOW exactly do you ensure they all get enough individual attention
They all have their own things that they're into and I tend to use that to my advantage, so I'll take one child out for a bit or do a certain activity with one of them. Along with them not all being home at the same time and having different bedtimes
How do you manage work/childcare
I work in a school which is helpful as I'm off the same time as them. I managed to get my youngest two into nursery the same days as I work. Though i leave earlier so they go to a childminders or stay at home and take themselves to school. After school DH can sometimes pick them up or they go to childminders again
do you have a tumble dryer?
Yes
How big is your washing machine op
It has 9kg capacity

And just the one washing machine? I am debating buying a second ....

Yeah I only have the one, a second one would probably be quite useful though

Do you think you will move to a bigger house in the future?

You say you knew you wanted atleast 4. What bought you to this decision and then later onto number 6.

I mean this in the nicest way I could possibly word this my poor kid but i reguarly regret how far dc2 stretches me and wish I'd considered sticking with one. The idea of anymore actually horrifies me because I'd honestly be even shitter a seriously crap parent, I struggle as it is!

Do you just really enjoy it/find it easy?

No questions but just wanted to say you sound like a really nice mum. I only (!) have 3 and I’m never certain they’re all getting the same amount/ enough attention, I’m not sure anyone with more than 1 does, it goes to who needs it most at that time.

Do you think you will move to a bigger house in the future?
I hope so, it would be nice to have more space

I wanted at least four having come from a family of five myself and I really enjoyed growing up with lots of siblings, I wanted my own children to have a similar experience. Once I got to four I did struggle quite a lot as DC 3 and 4 are twins but once they got a bit older, past being toddlers I didn't feel like I was done having children and I felt ready by then to have another. I found going from 1 to 2 so much more difficult than going from 5 to 6 as they seem to just "fit into" the family and it gets easier to adapt to having another. I do enjoy it but I don't always find it easy

How do you manage when they get ill?
Are they fussy eaters?