The Radfords

[highchairhell]

Hey all, after a night struggling with a teething baby and a toddler with chicken pox I ended up thinking about how the radfords cope? There just wasn't enough of me last night to give both the constant attention they wanted, and my DH was helping but it was constant and exhausting.

How on Earth do the radfords cope? Surely their children teeth, get poorly, need advice, homework help, feeding, bathing, one on one time etc so HOW?

I guess my aibu is to think they can't? Surely they can't be in 21 places at once?!

I feel sorry for “the older ones”. They are unpaid help really.

If they ever have children, they will not want a football team plus. No wonder

There's a clip in one of the episodes were Chloe explains to Millie that with her leaving the house that she will have to do all these jobs now. It was very depressing.

I just had a nosy at their main Instagram page Fenella, and they've listed themselves as a "business".

Says it all really. Pair of loons who've become addicted to the media attention they get from pro-creating to cope with issues from their own childhoods.

I feel very sorry for the kids. It must be so embarrassing.

I always remember an interview with parents of a very large family (not the Radfords) who said - once you get to 9 any more makes no difference as they raise themselves.
In the past and still in some countries, many women had no choice about large families and I suspect that is the case here. Both the mothers are exploited and the kids do not get enough attention.

I don’t think they do cope. They enslave the older children and expect the younger ones to get on with it as much as possible. They can pretend all they want this isn’t the case.

@Aprilshouldhavebeenmyname I was the 3rd oldest of 14 siblings. and I loved it, i loved looking after the babies and taking them out with me, and doing the overnight care because it made me feel grownup and special. I wasn't until i was 17 or did it become clear that what i'd always perceived as 'what families do' was not what everyone else did. and when i wanted to go to uni, it became even clearer that I was still expected to shoulder the responsibility. when i refused....things weren't so idillic anymore. none of my siblings have more than 3 children (2 of us have 3), almost half of us have none. just beause i liked it as a child, didn't make it ok.

Well each one gets about 9 months of care don't they? Once they're walking they sort themselves out.

I think the root of it is both the parents are adopted.

It is unhealthy though and sad.

I feel sorry for their children, there is no way they themselves as parents can give their children enough attention.

ah yes the magical pie shop.... and 'we don't claim any benefits'....no loves of course you don't....

Are Tax Credits benfits?

They must get those?

No benefits except child benefit according to them lol.

The root of it as well is that he got a 13 year old pregnant and then trapped her. She gave up school at 16 to be a SAHM and knows no different so even if she wanted to escape she's struggle to even know how to.

Chloe went to uni but only lasted a year away from home, if that.

ofc they claim tax credits, why wouldn't they?
I imagine the 'we don't claim benefits' means they don't claim Income Support or HB. they will be raking it in with the CB, CTC, and WFTC.

I am adopted but I only have 1 DC. Being adopted, by itself, does not make you want to have 21 children.

The amount of time we spend helping with homework, hobbies, reading together with just DS, I don't know how families with more than 4 or 5 children cope to be honest

I meant some kind of attachment disorder -esp if time spent in foster care as a baby.

I think the issue with the benefit is that they outright lie plus the amount of benefits are estimated to be over 20k tax free iirc.

*Ineedaholidaynow
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From what I can see e.g my dads childhood, the radfords and the duggars etc they don't cope after number 4/5.
They just force the older kids into playing mum/dad.

Kids will do because they like to help and they don't understand they are being manipulated.

Guilt is a powerful exploitation tool.

in their minds it is not a lie because they have mentally separated in work and out of work benefits.

Former = good, and not really benefits.

Latter = bad, feckless