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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:
madnessIsay · 10/11/2018 08:10

They really don’t bother me, perhaps because my family are Irish although 21 is extreme.

The children seem happy & loved & ok they may not have enough 1:1 time but there are plenty of children who have 1 or no siblings who don’t get that either. I don’t understand why everyone is so concerned for their welfare, I’m more worried for those children whose parents are addicts or suffer sexual abuse.

HeadsDownThumbsUpEveryone · 10/11/2018 08:11

Its pretty obvious that she has serious mental health issues and I have no doubt that it has been pointed out to her many times in the past but she obviously hasn't had any support for them.

I find it terribly sad that people think it is wrong to judge them. Mostly it is people judging the life of the children, who get lost in a crowd and have pretty much no normal childhood experiences. Think how often people say a teacher doesn't know the children as well as their parents due to the amount in the class. This is the same, they cannot possibly know what is going in in their child's lives, even simple things like favourite colours or best friends.

I've said it before but there's no way they would notice if a child was being bullied or had difficulties at school such as dyslexia and that's why I judge them. They are not parenting they are controlling the crowd whilst systematically adding to it every 1-2 years. I cannot believe anyone thinks it is a healthy environment to grow up in. We have ratios for children in nurseries for a reason, two adult simply cannot reasonably support that many children. Sad

Ellisandra · 10/11/2018 08:12

I’ll never understand the people posting “oh what name have they chosen?”

Who gives a fuck?

mumto2babyboys · 10/11/2018 08:12

Years ago I watched a documentary on them. They've never claimed any benefits or tax credits.

When their mini bus needed repairs they were saving up for said repairs and explaining how they reuse the older children's clothes and shoes.

They owned a bakery and the dad has worked hard every day of his life to run it and provide for his kids and their kids seemed better behaved than my 2 are at times as they had the older children supervising them.

But the main thing that struck me was that the parents were both adopted and both wanted to have a family of their own from an early age.

It sounds like absolute chaos and would not be for me

but fair play to them for staying together for so long and providing for their family themselves and making it work.

Ellisandra · 10/11/2018 08:14

I also don’t understand posts about that being the norm in the past.
Was it? (genuine question)
Really 21? I thought that 15 was more common, and with a number of them dead in infancy.

TheFairyCaravan · 10/11/2018 08:14

They didn't grow up in care, they were adopted and lived round the corner from one another.

I can't stand them. I don't think the media should be celebrating them in any way, shape or form. We've got kids starving while they're parents are waiting on their Universal Credit payments while this pair lie through their teeth about not claiming anything while their child benefits, and tax credit, add up to a whole lot more. It disgusts me.

nottakingthisanymore · 10/11/2018 08:17

I agree that 15 or so was more common. Many died in infancy. The wars also meant that there were sometimes large gaps.

mumto2babyboys · 10/11/2018 08:17

He also had a vasectomy but then got it reversed. If I remember correctly?!

It was a while ago i watched it when I was pregnant thinking how on earth,

but they came across really well and their own adoptive parents were even saying they were crazy on it.

Seemed normal apart from wanting to have so many children

Bananalanacake · 10/11/2018 08:18

What about the impact on the environment

mumto2babyboys · 10/11/2018 08:18

They own a bakery!

Ihopeyourcakeisshit · 10/11/2018 08:18

Jesus, what tragedy has to occur before this ridiculousness stops?Sad

Jimdandy · 10/11/2018 08:18

YANBU. They claim the “only” get CB. It doesn’t matter it’s still a massive amount to take. Plus the cost of 21 births, schooling, the environmental impact etc. No needs 21 children.

I also think it’s very selfish on the kids. It’s not fair the older ones to have to do childcare and nurturing, it wasn’t their choice to have kids. Also he broke the law my having sex with her before she was 16. It’s just not necessary to have that many. We all have things we want in life by you can’t have everything!

Veganfortheanimals · 10/11/2018 08:18

I do wonder why social services haven't stepped in ....none of the children can possibly be getting their emotional needs met from their parents.someone in authority should be stepping in to end this circus.the parents need some counselling to help them understand why they think this is normal.

surferjet · 10/11/2018 08:19

At 43 this will surely be her last.

Good luck to them. If the kids are loved & wanted I can’t see what the problem is.
No child gets ( or needs ) undivided attention, I only had 4 & they spent half their life in front of CBeebies. ( they’re fine )

And she’s not caring for 21 children as half of them are old enough to look after themselves.

Fallingout · 10/11/2018 08:19

@mumto2babyboys sue’s blog was very open about them claiming tax credits 🙄 of course they claim them, they are entitled to. Now they have tv deals, maybe that’s dropped off but they most definitely worked but claimed tax credits. And whilst the business earns 50k it hasn’t always and their business costs will be discounted.
As I said above I do have a large family and it’s a full time job keeping up with individual needs, a child who’s struggling in school, a child being bullied, a child who’s poorly, a child who is feeling unhappy. I’m constantly between appointments at school college drs. There’s just no way these kids are all having their needs met.

diddl · 10/11/2018 08:19

Can't help thinking that the time to stop is when you're own kids are having kids!

I agree that she must have some issues & he enables it.

madnessIsay · 10/11/2018 08:19

We've got kids starving while they're parents are waiting on their Universal Credit payments while this pair lie through their teeth about not claiming anything while their child benefits, and tax credit, add up to a whole lot more. It disgusts me.

I’m more disgusted that children are starving because the likes of Amazon etc pay so little tax & the government are making bad decisions.

mumto2babyboys · 10/11/2018 08:20

And I think being adopted does make you question something or crave a family or your own.

It is extreme though 21!!

from what he said about the vasectomy he knew they had enough children but he still felt the need to have more

If they were secretly claiming anything I think it would have been exposed by hrmc by now

canyouhearthedrums · 10/11/2018 08:22

Thanos this is polite discussion compared to a lot of other places.
I don't care much about the benefits they get (although it's annoying they deny it) or the environmental impact, what interests me in a weird sort of way is Sue's insistence that the children love her having more babies and they love helping out but the children are very clearly saying the opposite. It's almost like some sort of defence mechanism to justify her having more. The last programme interviewed 3 of the older boys who looked like the saddest, most depressed teens ever, saying they had no privacy or peace at all. They were in a bunk room and had to stay on the top bunk to keep their stuff safe as the little ones wrecked everything. She was still letting on about how they ask her to have more Hmm

Very interesting that Noel has now said there will be no more, he was always in the never say never camp. I hope they don't have any more, she's 43 now and a grandparent to 4. They should take stock of the incredible fortune they have in all of those healthy children and call it a day.

mumto2babyboys · 10/11/2018 08:22

Oh sorry. It was a while ago I watched it and they said they weren't

There is a tax credit cut off at 2 children though so she won't be getting anything for the new baby

DonDrapersOldFashioned · 10/11/2018 08:23

fair play to them for providing for their family themselves

It’s been said before but it must be a bloody magic pie shop that single handedly provides for 20 people (2 parents and 18 or so kids as some of the older ones have left home). Like bloggers and the like they get a lot of freebies from nursery companies and so on, keen for their products to be promoted on the Radford’s widely viewed social media platforms. As well a tv show/appearance incomes and any income support type benefits they may or may not be in receipt of. They have suggested in the past that it is all hard pie shop graft money that they live on and it simply cannot be true.

Fallingout · 10/11/2018 08:24

@mumto2babyboys it wasn’t secret. She used to blog (it was pretty bad to be far, not a great idea) and she stated in there numerous times and when asked that they claimed tax credits, but they didn’t see that as a benefit as they were working. They saw ‘claiming benefits’ as esa and income support and not working. So you are wrong.

TheFairyCaravan · 10/11/2018 08:24

He also had a vasectomy but then got it reversed. If I remember correctly?!

I don't believe that tbh. I think they added that to gain a little bit more attention.

They own a bakery

And? It's not bloody Greggs is it? They're obviously not raking it in if they're still eligible for Child Benefit. Go on entitled.to, put £50k in and all those kids and you'll see they can claim almost as much again in CTC. They admitted they did in a magazine article a few years back, I think the quote was "we don't claim anything to which we're not entitled", then changed their tune.

Roussette · 10/11/2018 08:24

HeadsDown totally agree with your post, especially the last para. It is just crowd control.

Some of those children will have huge issues in later life undoubtedly.

As far as finances, they will be paid a huge amount from the TV, plus sponsorship from companies in some way. They will not be living on £50K from the bakery plus CB!

SerenDippitty · 10/11/2018 08:24

It does sound like she only really likes the helpless infant stage. As soon as the latest has grown into a toddler and starts exercising its own will she has to replace it with another baby.

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