I'm a single mum of 7. AMA!

[WorldCupSadness]

Scared 😅

No. They’d be far more cautious and reflective.

Well, obviously! I can't believe you actually wrote that.

Do any of your children have disabilities? I ask because I’ve never know a very large family that doesn’t have a couple of children with disabilities and claiming DLA.

Same fools who think they have to move a bloke in instead of living separately, foisting them on their kids, because 'blended' families are so great!

Yes it’s probably an attempt to fill an emptiness. At the cost of millions over the children’s lifetime to the taxpayer.

Yes, I wonder that. I do know/have known quite a few women who have had 4, 5, 6+ 'relationships' or 'situationships' with men, lasting 4-5 months to 2 years, and they have had a baby with every single one.

I'm like 'err why?' A few of them have had a baby with a man they've been with for less than a year - when they're 42/43! And they've already got kids (as old as 18-22.) I just think 'if you wanted to make something together, you could have made a quilt!' 🙄

In almost every case, the relationship doesn't last, and she's left holding the baby in her 40s, and is trapped in a life of drudgery and childcare, (pretty much on her own,) when what she should have in her early to mid 40s is her freedom, and an empty nest just around the corner.

And who are all these men who are shacking up with - and having babies with - women who already have 3+ kids?! Are they all cocklodgers looking for a roof over their head?

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Perfectly possible yes, but truly the school questioned the home set-up.

Do feel proud of yourself? Do you look at your children and think they are happy and growing and healthy and that is down to you?

I took my son to the peadeatrician yesterday and she weighed him, said he was a healthy weight and said "Good job mama"! Made me feel great! And you have that x7!

Have your children been on a foreign holiday abroad? Does your eldest have aspirations? Are you saving up for 7x university fees?

I wish the Op had had someone in her life to say “no @WorldCupSadness getting into massive debt to get a law degree with absolutely no plan for afterwards is not sensible”

what a likely waste of time, energy and… money

I imagine the older kids are embarrassed.

Do you think you’re a poor judge of character? Did you not see red flags in any of these men before you got pregnant? Or did you get pregnant pretty quickly without getting to know them?

I know! I do think that some people on here are missing the point...

Why bring a baby into this when you can’t support your family without any help from the taxpayer already ?

Law degree sounds fancy innit. Lots of cleaners and baristas with law degrees who can’t get training contracts. The markets absolutely saturated, especially with AI so they can pick from the best.

Make sure all the kids dad's step up to support tbe kids

They might of course have taken steps not to be in your shoes ..... just a thought.

Is your life tough? I’ve seen you had 7 kids and said you don’t have hobbies or go out and can only go on caravan holidays . It’s not a life I would wish for. Though if I could afford 7 children with the life I give my 2 maybe I would.

We have 2 kids in private school ,
multiple abroad holidays a year plus little caravan holidays like you do and our kids play sport, music , we go to the theatre, dinner out, we basically have a full enriched life . I would find it sad to have had so many children I could not give enough enrichment to- I’m not talking about material things here.
Are you able to do this with yours, curtesy of the tax payer?

I spend time with mine reading each night and doing homework. How do you manage all of this?

I appreciate you’re getting a lot of stick on here from people and judgement but I find it more sad that you can’t stand on your own two feet, without relying on taxpayers money, and you can’t go out . I would have terrible mental health.

What do your parents think of your situation?

My sister is a solicitor, flexible jobs are pretty hard to come by. How would you afford wrap around care? Do the school runs? Etc Have you had a paralegal job before? Training contracts are very competitive and hard to come by.

As this is AMA, I’ll actually ask a question rather than just make nasty comments.

OP do you regret starting this thread, or did you anticipate some of these responses?

I just feel so disheartened reading this thread. So bloody disheartened.
Would've loved to have 3 children but had to think realistically and take things such as childcare etc costs into account.
Meanwhile, other people take zero responsibility for their life choices and just go with the flow because they know the taxpayer will pick up the tab. The country is in a massive debt but no politician is brave enough to switch off the benefit tap.
If they did and if people knew they weren't getting everything handed out to them, they would (hopefully) be more responsible.
Anyone else feels the same?

Your children will likely be so so much more happier and settled @Oppositesituation

Do your children honestly like and all get along together?

And now the op is thousands of pounds in debt on top of everything else!

Wont ever actually reach the threshold to pay any of it back though i imagine