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Original poster

How many cousins do you have/ your DC have?

268 replies

Allswellthatendswelll · 27/07/2025 18:44

Inspired by this article in the Times:

https://www.thetimes.com/life-style/parenting/article/why-cousins-are-dying-out-it-matters-more-than-you-think-d6vr0rgtx

It's behind a paywall sorry but basically it says due to declining birthrates children born now are much less likely to have lots of cousins. I think down from average 7 to 5 but falling quite a bit. The article argues that this means children have less peers their age in family gatherings to play with and smaller networks.

I find it very interesting as I have 13 cousins but I'm not very close to any of them as an adult. My DC have 4 for now but probably 7 or 8 once everyone is done. I'm quite glad they have quite a few cousins but perhaps we are becoming more unusual as all our siblings have kids or intend to.

Why cousins are a dying breed — it matters more than you might think

In the 1970s a British teenager had seven on average. Today it’s five and projected to fall further, with consequences that can be profound

https://www.thetimes.com/life-style/parenting/article/why-cousins-are-dying-out-it-matters-more-than-you-think-d6vr0rgtx

OP posts:
BoarBrush · 27/07/2025 20:59

Dh has 0
I have 13
Dc have 6 full cousins and 7 step cousins.

853ax · 27/07/2025 21:01

I have 45 my children have 10
Children do not see cousins often due to distance & age differences ( few lot older +10-15 others babies)

elliejjtiny · 27/07/2025 21:03

I have 14 cousins, Dh has 12. The dc have 4

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Families
backtoschoolsnot · 27/07/2025 21:04

I have 4 (all maternal side), my DC have 1. We do all get together for big family occasions despite varying degrees of closeness over the years despite most living in London, shocking really, should be more often.

Fgfgfg · 27/07/2025 21:06

23 first cousins but I'm the oldest and actually closer in age to most of my aunts and uncles. Youngest uncle is only two years older than me (more like a cousin) whereas my youngest cousin is 30 years younger than me.

cc99xo · 27/07/2025 21:06

I have 4 cousins (my mom is an only child, my dad has 3 sisters - 2 of which have 2 children each)

My DP has no cousins as both his mom and dad are both only children

My 5 year old DS has no cousins but I’m the eldest and I had my son very young and my siblings aren’t quite there yet, but hopefully he’ll have plenty of cousins in the future! :)

sleepfortheweek · 27/07/2025 21:06

I have 3 - my DC have 10

TeenLifeMum · 27/07/2025 21:09

My 3dc have 2 cousins. One is 2 years younger than my youngest two but lives an 11 hour flight away. The other is 10 years younger and lives a 4 hour drive away. It’s a very different experience to my 14 cousins (dad was one of 5 dc and mum one of 3). I’m still close to all my cousins even around the world.

MirrorMirror1247 · 27/07/2025 21:10

I have 12 cousins, counting one who died as a baby. I don't have any DC, but my sister's DS has 20 cousins in total. My BIL is one of 6 and his sisters have several between them.

Spidey66 · 27/07/2025 21:10

My parents both came from large families. I've got about 40 or 50. I'm close to 1, have WhatsApp or Facebook contact with about a dozen more but many I barely know or haven't seen for years.

My husband's got about 10 or 12.

I don't have kids but my niblings have about 5 or 6.

MissCalamity · 27/07/2025 21:11

I have 6 cousins.
My DC have 3 cousins on my side, and 6 on DP's side although they wouldn't know them if they fell over them 🙄

Becs258 · 27/07/2025 21:11

I have 8, but don’t see them for ten years at a time. Not close at all. DH has 6. DC have 5- they see two of them regularly, and the others sporadically. Wouldn’t say they were close though.

EwwSprouts · 27/07/2025 21:15

DS has 3 cousins. They are 10 years + older. They get on well but only see each other a couple of times a year as the nearest is 130 miles away.

I have 5 cousins and am only in touch with one who lives abroad. The other 4 I've not seen in 20+ years due to family fall out and a remarriage when 2 were school age.

MyAcornWood · 27/07/2025 21:16

I’ve got 8 cousins, none of whom I see or communicate with ever, DH has 10 and is relatively close to all (albeit some live in America so trickier!) and our children have 7, all very close indeed, so no great disparity in numbers, but relationships, as expected, vary.

Alsonification · 27/07/2025 21:16

I have 27 first cousins. My kids have 15

zeibesaffron · 27/07/2025 21:17

I have none my parents where both only children. My kids have 10 cousins (all boys) except my DD! My 2 are the 2nd/3rd youngest. They really get on with the cousins closest in age.

I love having all these nephew’s- they are all fab in very different ways!

kirinm · 27/07/2025 21:17

I have 2. My DD has 7.

WhineAndWine1 · 27/07/2025 21:19

I have 7 cousins. 2 I grew up with but we aren’t close as I am the eldest and there’s a 7 year age gap between me and the younger of the 2. The other five I could be their mums due to the age difference. My DD has 3 (2 bio and one step) she is closer with the step rather than the bio due to distance.

familyissues12345 · 27/07/2025 21:19

My children have 7 from me and DH’s 3 brothers (between us)

DS1 is DH’s stepson, I actually don’t know how many cousins he has on his Dads side. He has a huge family, his Dad is the eldest of 7 and his grandma is the eldest of 7, so there’s lots of family of similar ages and I lose track of who is who! We also had DS quite young, so on his Dads side a lot of his cousins are under 7/8 (DS is nearly 22)

Sunshineandgrapefruit · 27/07/2025 21:24

I have 10, my DC have 3....

Snackattacked · 27/07/2025 21:24

I have 60 across both my mother and father's large Irish families. Spent lots of time together as children (hoards of us in the same primary school) and on holidays when the 'yanks' and the 'Ozzies' came back to visit - and when we all went back to Ireland from London to stay with grandparents on their farm for 6 weeks every summer. I have a warm relationship with them all now as an adult and am very close to a handful who are godparents to my children and are amongst my closest trusted friends (in some cases more than some of my siblings!). My own DCs have 15 cousins who they are close to (holidayed loads together when little) and now socialise with as adults - they are also connected and socialise with my own cousins DCs (is that their second cousins?) which I love encouraging. I treasure this experience.

overqualifiedturkey · 27/07/2025 21:24

I have 20 first cousins and all have had multiple children. When younger we would see each other weekly but now I am not close to them, apart from funerals and weddings but I look forward to seeing them and we follow one another on social media and comment lots. My children have 6 cousins and rarely see them. Maybe twice a year at most. They aren't all of social media age but (due to age differences) have had limited contact with one another so I doubt would interact if given the choice.

AuntMarch · 27/07/2025 21:25

my son has 3, the youngest is 8ish years older than him.

I have 14. I have one sibling with no children, my mum had 3, with 3 each!

CozyCoupe · 27/07/2025 21:29

My kids have 13 first cousins.

I have 30, know them all. Dh has about 20ish amd again, we know them all.

goudacheese · 27/07/2025 21:31

I have 14 and several are a similar age. We were close growing up and meet up regularly now. My kids have 3 and keep in contact with them.