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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Sue Radford, baby 21 is here..

968 replies

FortuneFrimble · 10/11/2018 07:14

Daily Fail story here
21 babies! That's some achievement. I cannot believe her body is still in one piece. I feel sorry for those kids though. There's absolutely no way they can all have the individual attention they need growing up. Four kids maybe, perhaps 6 at an absolute push but 21 seems like collecting trophies for a hobby to me. It'd be interesting to see what families those children decide to have when the time comes. It seems like she's putting her own want for babies ahead of her existing children's wellbeing & that isn't healthy. I'm curious that she's practically guaranteed herself an endless supply of babies as her children have children. But they're supposedly paying for everything themselves so we're not allowed to say anything against them. I don't agree with it. Tell me I'm being U.

OP posts:
Roussette · 10/11/2018 10:15

No one has said they're crap parents. I think they would be superb parents to a large family. By large, I mean 4,5,6. Not 21. However, hard they try they cannot meet the needs of that many.

Racecardriver · 10/11/2018 10:17

The world record for single women having the most children is 69, I hope she isn’t trying to beat it.

Dobbythesockelf · 10/11/2018 10:19

I don't think they are necessarily bad parents. I just think that with so many children they can not possibly meet all the needs of those children. The children are all fed, clothed and loved I'm sure but there are not enough hours in the day to ensure every child's emotional needs are met. Or that they are supported with their homework etc.

LyingWitchInTheWardrobe2726 · 10/11/2018 10:22

I didn't say they had to be 'supported'. I don't personally agree with their choice. I just don't see why some women (and it is always women), have to be so nasty about it.

PiperPublickOccurrences · 10/11/2018 10:23

The world record for single women having the most children is 69,

How is that even possible??? You'd have to start having triplets annually at 13 and keep popping out a set of triplets each year until you were 46.

SilentIsla · 10/11/2018 10:25

Urgh

bobstersmum · 10/11/2018 10:25

I have 3 little ones and it's hard giving them all one to one time to be honest, so I don't know how this family cope.

FrancisCrawford · 10/11/2018 10:26

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Fallingout · 10/11/2018 10:27

@LyingWitchInTheWardrobe
Seriously? This woman was impregnated at 13 by a 17 yr old and has gone on to have 21 children.

Birdsgottafly · 10/11/2018 10:28

"They could also be minimum wage workers"

Well someone's got to be. Going on about high earners is just stupid, most people in this Country will have to settle for a lot less.

What should we do? Stop producing children and just bring refugees/migrants in? Who usually go on to have big families.

" I don’t see a lot of potential net contributors almongst this family"

If we judged refugees like that, this thread would be gone.

Or the posters who have multiple disabled children. You would be vilified if you said they shouldn't carry on having children.

"" But there are far worse things happening to children every day in smaller hidden families and I reserve my anger and upset for that.""

Absolutely, those caught up in the CP system often go on to have more children, after permanent removal.

I know of an African Man (who paid someone to marry him so he got citizenship) who is on his tenth baby. All the Women are from the same region and have children very quickly, in the hope to gain indefinite leave, which seven of them now have, all on benefits. None want to integrate, a few are under SS. He is only in his thirties, so I don't doubt there will be more children.

"There's a lot of love"
There's also a lot of resentment"

I doubt it compares to the resentment from Posters against not only their own family, but their in-laws.

It's interesting, though. There was a thread by a Mother who had been a workaholic and admitted that she neglected her DD whilst she was growing up. The DD was now homeless and needed to live rent free in one of her houses. Very few posters felt that her Mother owed her anything and her emotional and physical neglect was OK because the Mother was out working.

WhirlyGigWhirlyGig · 10/11/2018 10:28

Lying I spoke to my husband about it and he being a man is in full agreement that they are a selfish pair.

LyingWitchInTheWardrobe2726 · 10/11/2018 10:30

We have a MAN's opnion? Shock Squeeeee!
Oh in that case, I stand corrected... Hmm

I'm embarrassed for you that you posted that.

Birdsgottafly · 10/11/2018 10:30

Fallingout, she was 14 and yes, that year makes a difference. The mental need for the both of them to create a family has already been picked apart.

It's strange how she and him gets more critism than their Parents do, for abandoning them both, which is where it all started.

MinecraftHolmes · 10/11/2018 10:31

I just don't see why some women (and it is always women), have to be so nasty about it

"Nasty" is very subjective. I would say that women would be critical (because that's what this is) because not all women are mothers but all mothers are women. Mothers tend to care about the wellbeing of children, so will be critical of other mothers who are blatantly acting against the interests of their children.

Shirleyphallus · 10/11/2018 10:33

Lying I spoke to my husband about it and he being a man is in full agreement that they are a selfish pair.

Oh thank FUCK we have a man’s opinion!!

Stand down ladies! The thread can now close!

Birdsgottafly · 10/11/2018 10:33

I asked my Rabbits what they thought. I think they think it's shit, because that's what they carried on doing.

But then if they had the choice, they'd produce 21 babies a month.

GreatDuckCookery6211 · 10/11/2018 10:34

Are they wanted though Lying. Why is the last baby never enough? Why the need once that baby is out of the cute stage for them to have another one and then another one?

canyouhearthedrums · 10/11/2018 10:35

She got pregnant when she was 13 and Noel 18. She gave birth at 14 and he was nearly 19 IIRC. Their DOBs are/were on their webpage.

Dobbythesockelf · 10/11/2018 10:35

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_with_the_most_children

Most of these stories just seem quite sad tbh. Lots of children but not many lived past infancy. A lot of them are also not proven.

MinecraftHolmes · 10/11/2018 10:37

Oh thank FUCK we have a man’s opinion!!

Oh don't act a knob. The poster said that it's always women who are critical of the Radfords. Someone asked their husband his opinion and reported back, to demonstrate that not just women are critical of them.

Will we be having the faux shock when someone points out that MN is female dominated so of course it's going to be women posting about it?

Ladymargarethall · 10/11/2018 10:40

Why is it weird that grandparents have children? If the grandparents started having children young they become young grandparents. I know of other grandparents who have had children in their 40s, usually considered a perfectly acceptable age to give birth in Mumsnet.
DD knows of a family where there is a great grandma of 48.

Shirleyphallus · 10/11/2018 10:40

No, the poster said that women are always “nasty” about them, not unsupportive.

Shirleyphallus · 10/11/2018 10:40

Ps, I like “knob” as a choice of insult. Definitely due a revival!

BoooForYou · 10/11/2018 10:40

YANBU
The media celebrate them as an oddity but the fact when they had their first she was 14 and he 18, she was in care and it was statutory rape makes it really uncomfortable.

And whilst the media trumpet that they don't claim benefits or housing as another kick to anyone relying in anyway on the welfare state, what about the cost of schools, or to the NHS as she must be a high risk pregnancy by now?

Also, they could bake until the cows come home, but there's no way their bakery allows them 21 kids, they're bankrolled via TV shows and articles.

They cannot possibly provide a supportive environment for every child. And now the daughter is onto her 3rd too.

They are ridiculous.

MysticFlyTrap · 10/11/2018 10:41

I was in awe of them until I watched the last episode and realised the older ones do a lot of childcare and look very resentful. It seems very unfair for them to carry on this lifestyle especially now the older siblings are suffering. Individual time between each child must be very lacking