Objectively, is parenting harder the more kids you have?

[Yellofello]

Just that really. I see so many stressed families around these days and understand there will be other factors as to why. Everyone I know who has chosen to have one DC (or indeed child free) seems markedly less stressed, with more free time. I know they grow up and imagine it would be nice to have multiple adult kids coming home for Christmas and to share lives with but there’s a long 20 years to get to that point, where most families these days need 2 working adults besides will be having kids older and retiring later.

4 kids and while we have had stressful times (more health than anything else actually), we’ve got a bit of a rhythm here in terms of how things get done etc, you just find your groove! I don’t think in general we’re more stressed, but it’s the things you think about really because for a while I worried at the fact that we do less eg paid days out (a trip to the cinema costs about sixty euro or a take away about fifty) and less extra curriculars, but I made my peace with that by the fact we always have free ways to entertain (there’s so many of us that a game of chasing or football or board game always turns into a huge thing!) Maybe it’s just quieter at people with less children’s houses???

I always read that it's easy going from 1 to 2. In my experience it felt like going from 1 to 4! Maybe that's because they're close in age though so found it difficult having a tantrumming 2 year old with a baby etc.
Now they're 2 and 4, it's great when they play together but also takes up time when they're fighting over toys.
It feels SO much easier when we take a child each on the weekend.