To ask why all of the Queen's adult grandchildren have chosen to have kids?

[itsbeen4minutes]

Out of the Queen's 6 adult grandchildren, all of them have had children. AIBU to ask whether this is normal in terms of pretty every member of a family having chosen to have kids?

I have chosen to not have children so feel like if I was a member of the royal family I would be judged quite a bit on my choice to remain childfree.

"The posters saying they have 45 to 50 cousins. Are these FIRST cousins? So like your brothers and sisters have 45 to 50 children between them>>>??? You'd have to have 10 siblings with 4 or 5 kids each. (Or 5 or 6 sibling with 8 or 9 kids each....) Very VERY unusual."

No, because I have 2 parents. Each of them with a set of siblings who went on to have several kids (my cousins).

I mean, money and privilege, yes. But I assume the UC also see it as a duty to continue the line, as it were. Especially royalty. I’m sure it read somewhere that we lose several ‘titles’ a year, and will theoretically run out after a while (and it wasn’t very long. A hundred years or so, I think.) I don’t think it would be a bad thing, necessarily, but the UC’s would, so they’d definitely be pro-procreation, wouldn’t they?

As said above I have kids both siblings don't.

Forgot about my DH 4 siblings. 1 has 4 kids the other 2 don't want them.

Eh because it's NORMAL to have children maybe?

I find it so bizarre that a forum called Mumsnet is so anti children - honestly

My maternal grandfather has 10 grandchildren and we’ve all got kids. I always wonder if that’s unusual.

If I were part of royalty I'd have as many kids as my uterus would allow me. Not only does that mean I could stay in bed all day and have to avoid 'duties' it also means I'd have a lot of help for the others and wouldn't have to worry about the energy bill. I'd spend my life waking up in the morning ringing the bell by my bed to order toast whilst watching Jeremy Vine on 5.

I have a fair no of childfree friends, def not uncommon - late 30s/40s, london, middle class professionals.

I think things are changing though, out of all my cousins and siblings I'm the only one to have children so far (but then their ages range from mid 20s to mid 30s, so still time if they wanted to). Only 1 of my cousins/siblings except me is married.

Re the cousins, my mum was 1 of 7 they all had 2-3 children making 17 in total.

My dad one of 4 (one died young no children) and one of his sisters was married to my mothers brother so their 2 counts on both sides of my family

In stepdads family there is 3 further cousins but 1 has never had anything to do with the family so technically i have 18 first cousins 14 by blood and 2 of them double cousins.

I don't think that is desperately unusual for someone my age (50)

DH has 10 cousins his parents were both 1 out of 3

My 41 first cousins are from 6 aunts & uncles on my Dad's side and 4 on my Mum's side. And I'm one of 7 children. So far my parents have 19 grandchildren (and another due early next year).

Because otherwise the species would die out?! It's generally instinctive, it is pretty much our sole purpose as far as nature is concerned, to procreate.

I am one of ten cousins (and the youngest at 50), only two of whom have children. But I have always thought we were unusual and that it’s much more common for most people to have children. And I especially don’t think it’s unusual for people who aren’t worrying about how to pay for childcare!

So right now I am the last generation of my whole maternal line. A bit sad.

And I am the oldest in my maternal line now

@wordler sex selection is illegal in the UK! I don’t know what sex my frozen embryos are, nor does my embryologist (they aren’t allowed to know either unless there is a specific sex chromosome issue).

Varies. My grandmother had 9 siblings and every single one married and had children! On my father's side of the family his father was one of 10 siblings and only the oldest and the youngest married and had children and 8 stayed single and never married and had no children.

My siblings and I have all had children. My oldest 2 chilren have married and had children although I suspect it is likely some of my 3 sons might not have children but we shall see - I think they would all make good fathers but it will be their choice.

Yes, I don't think that's terribly uncommon. I have 10 official first cousins and two I believe who were young. But I also have lots of first cousins once removed and second cousins that I have significant contact with. So 10 first cousins once removed that are in my parents generation, plus some in the generation below me. And then also many of those older cousins have kids too who are also my cousins.

It's pretty easy to get up to 50 that you know about and hear news of

Actually, my grandmother was one of 10 children, but I don't ever remember my dad talking about his aunts, uncles and cousins, so I have no idea how many cousins my dad had. No-one on either side of the family in my parents' generation or mine had more than 3 children. Most stuck with two.

I have 20 first cousins which is pretty common if you are middle-aged and come from a Catholic background. Of those, six (plus me and my sibling) are childfree. My husband's sibling doesn't have any kids either. We both know loads of people at work (academia/engineering) who don't have kids. I would say our friendship group is about 50/50 with kids and without.

I was shocked to read a comment on a MN post last night guilting an OP for having 3 children and contemplating having another. Suggesting she would be failing as a parent! Truly shocking that anyone should frown upon an individual's choice to have children (how many) or none at all.

What is this MN obsession with 2.2 children and no more?

You don’t seem to understand how cousins work.

It’s nothing to do with your siblings’ children, a cousin is the child of your aunt of uncle from either side of the family.

So if your dad is one of five and he and all his siblings have four children, you have 16 first cousins on your dad’s side.

And then if your mum is one of 3 and her siblings have a combined total of 7 children, you have a total of 23 cousins.

For people born in the 1940s/1950s, having 6+ siblings wasn’t that unusual. When they came to have children of their own in the 1960s/70s/80s, again having 5, 6, or more children wasn’t unusual so 30+ cousins on each side is very possible.

1. They can easily afford it
2. They don't have to give up their freedom as they can afford nannies etc
3. It won't affect their career

It’s a delightful random thought OP.

I think the 20% of women who don’t have kids will be weighted to the professional middle, rather than upper or lower, and often people choose not to to avoid having to make financial choices, which doesn’t apply to them.

Plus it’s fair to say choosing not to have kids is still the non-standard choice, and, other than Harry I spose, they all seem like people who go with the flow.

None of my aunts and uncles had children. My sister and I aren't planning any. Of mine and DH's friendship groups, I'd say 40% have or are planning children, and 60% don't and aren't planning any. Of my colleagues, only 5 in 20 have children and at least a handful of us are deliberately childfree.

So yes, I think it's unusual from my perspective because I know so many intentionally childfree people! But I found reading this thread interesting.

@MsRinky

I think that is it though, being child free is weighted to middle class professionals

Because they love them .... or plan to love them.