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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU in thinking 3 children is not ‘a large family’

82 replies

Randomposter · 01/03/2019 12:08

I see it a lot on here and sometimes with friends,
I wouldn’t even consider 4 children particularly large.
5+ yes. But 3? definitely not.

OP posts:
Thesearmsofmine · 01/03/2019 13:24

I think it seems large because everything is set up for 2 adults and 2 children. Family tickets, hotel rooms etc

Camellia5 · 01/03/2019 13:25

3 is very common in my circle. 4 isn't unusual, but I would class 4+ as a large family

BusySnipingOnCallOfDuty · 01/03/2019 13:27

Which of my two children is the .9 and how do I tell? Hmm Grin

earlyrisingcat · 01/03/2019 13:28

A family of up to 3 people (in total including parents) is small, a family of 4 or 5 (in total) is medium, and a family of 6 to 9 (in total) is a big family. 10+ (in total,) is a huge family.

IMO. Smile

hellsbellsmelons · 01/03/2019 13:30

I only have one - so anything more than that seems quite large to me.
Although I'm one of 5!!!
And all of us only had 1 child (apart from one who couldn't have kids).
Very strange how it goes sometimes.

Bluntness100 · 01/03/2019 13:31

I'd also consider it quite large. Four is indeed a large family.

Why do you have an issue with it? Do you have lots of kids yourself?

HalfBloodPrincess · 01/03/2019 13:32

Me and dp have 6 between us. 2 each from previous partners and 2 together (sort of - second is due in May)

Our separate dc are all mid teens - doing GCSEs.

I don’t feel like we have a large family though.

DappledThings · 01/03/2019 13:32

I think it's large. It's more children than adults which makes it big in my book!

MaryShelley1818 · 01/03/2019 13:35

I would class 3 as a large family.
I know of 3 friends who have 3, (2 of those are very well off).
The vast majority of my friends have 2 children, and a few including myself have one child although hope to have another.
I don’t know anyone with more than 3. I’m one of 2 and both my parents are only children.

MaMaMaMySharona · 01/03/2019 13:36

@BusySnipingOnCallOfDuty whichever one is shorter Grin

blackteasplease · 01/03/2019 13:36

I think it is. But I have two so that fits with what @smoggle says!

anniehm · 01/03/2019 13:42

4 is large, 3 is above average but common. I don't think anyone grumbles at family size if you have means but posts about 4+ kids and being poor get the backs up of us who wanted more but stopped at 2 to be responsible parents.

E20mom · 01/03/2019 13:43

Well it's bigger than the average so you can therefore say it's large.

Original poster
Randomposter · 01/03/2019 13:47

I haven’t got an issue with it at all.
I came from a family of 4 children & a lot of my school friends came from 6+ children, so maybe I’m just used to it. I don’t ever remember anyone thinking ( or saying ) these families were large. So I suppose I’m just wondering when 3 children became a large family?

OP posts:
formerbabe · 01/03/2019 13:49

3 is average imo... although it would be too many for me!

I'd class 4 or more as a large family

wheresmymojo · 01/03/2019 13:50

I would think of 3 as quite a large family but then DH and I are both only children and we only plan to have one child so i guess we would...

PissOffPeppa · 01/03/2019 13:51

I don’t think 3 is large but then I grew up in a 3-child household, my mum and dad were both one of three, I have two sets of 3 cousins and my childhood friends all had two siblings.

It just seems to have been the norm in this area when I was growing up so to me it seems like an average sized family.

elliejjtiny · 01/03/2019 13:56

1 child is a small family, 2 or 3 is average/medium and 4+ is large.

howabout · 01/03/2019 13:58

The 1.8 average applies to all women, including the ones who don't have children at all. Iirc childless is about 20% which implies the average for those who have children is closer to 3 than 2.

Lovemusic33 · 01/03/2019 14:05

I know many people with 3+ children, around here most people seem to have 3 or more, I know several families with 5 and 6. I wouldn’tsay 3 is a large family but 4 is.

IDoN0tCare · 01/03/2019 14:11

I have 5 siblings and my husband had 9. NI catholics so! Grin

Nowadays I think it’s a large family but growing up it seemed normal.

MammaMia19 · 01/03/2019 14:39

I come from a family of 3 children but I think 3 children is a large family. I couldn't imagine having 3 as everything is geared up for a family of four. I think 4 kids is a huge family and 5+ kids is crazy! I wouldn't voice these opinions in real life as how many kids people have is a personal decision and in my dds school 4-7 kids per family is very normal.

3out · 01/03/2019 14:43

Was going to say exactly the same as elliejj

LoniceraJaponica · 01/03/2019 14:46

IMO 1 or 2 children is small family, 3 is medium, and 4+ is large. Basically a family that won't fit into a standard 5 seater car is large.

HoppityFrog3 · 01/03/2019 14:49

A family with 3 kids is average IMO.

4 or more kids is a big family. I don't know many with 4 or more kids. I know at least half a dozen families with 3 kids though. And loads with 2 or 1.