1 of 9, husband 1 of 11 - big families

[Sandiepatterson]

That's it really!

The most obvious question has to be.....

How many children do you have?

Did your families have strict routines?
Why did your parents choose to have so many children?

@Sandiepatterson are you planning on returning to this thread?

I'm not the OP, but DH and I are both from almost equally big families, and his mother is the eldest of 13. In our cases, it was the lack of ability to avoid conception short of celibacy, given the availability of contraception in Ireland and the fact that 'artificial' contraception was not allowed in Catholicism -- the two facts closely meshed, obviously, given the close intersection of church and state in Ireland until fairly recently.

DH and I have one child by choice.

Did the older children end up looking after the younger ones, and if so, did they resent it?

Did any of your siblings go on to have big families?

my mum is one of 17!