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Original poster

'Too many children?'

171 replies

NotAnOtter · 11/04/2006 13:11

\link{http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/main.jhtml;jsessionid=H2A3IIAQDL3UBQFIQMGSFFWAVCBQWIV0?xml=/health/2006/04/11/hfamily11.xml\i liked this}

I always think of 'staircase wit' comments to say to people when they criticise me for having 5 (+ ?) children - there are a couple of nice quips in here!
Average number of children in uk families 1.3 !!

OP posts:
renaldo · 12/04/2006 16:38

but 5 children is not a lot, really is it? In ireland a big family is 6 or more...

Caligula · 12/04/2006 16:59

5 children used to be the maximum a "respectable" family would have before they started to get disapproving stares. I think it's now gone down to 4. Or in England in most places, 0.

Original poster
NotAnOtter · 12/04/2006 17:06

I am selfishnin that i have tried to get one sex and continuously got the other. Not sure if i will try again - i would always have had 5 but not sure about 6!

OP posts:
Cristina7 · 12/04/2006 19:25

There's a mum of 6 boys at DS's school. She's slim, pretty, groomed and even finds time to run. Good luck, NaO.

PutAPeachyInYourSimnelCake · 12/04/2006 19:39

I'd LOVE a fourth but the it's-not-AS-it's yu-crapness brigade make me feel too ashamed to have another Sad.

dad was one of 16. It wasn't good for him as a child (but there was exceptional depreivation in the family- Mum was bedridden and Grandad an Alkie I am told) but he adores his remaining (he was second youngest) huge family now. He considers it a blessing, although I think he'd have got more out of life without them... he couldn't go to Grammar because of uniform costs.

But that's finance, not family size.

Cristina7 · 12/04/2006 19:41

Personally, i think the jump from 3 to 4 is big because of transport, you'd need 2 cars nowadays.

Harridan · 12/04/2006 19:42

What's that brigade?

PutAPeachyInYourSimnelCake · 12/04/2006 19:48

That's the brigade who like to blame Sam's AS on my parenting- eg the school, my parents. Sigh.

We're hoping to get a 6 seater anyhow so we can seperate the boys down in the car. Atb that point i'll decide whether to have 4, it IS what I always wanted. And Dh.

PutAPeachyInYourSimnelCake · 12/04/2006 19:57

Sorry, having a bad day, ignore my post and keep the thread going please

Cristina7 · 12/04/2006 20:02

Peachy - you know AS isn't due to parenting, please keep it in mind whenever you feel down because of other people's ignorance.

PutAPeachyInYourSimnelCake · 12/04/2006 20:06

Ah BUT BUT

you need a DX to convince them your child has it

Youc an't get a dx because they refer you to irrelevant behaviour specialists and refuse to refer you to ed psych even though requested by Paed

Paed can't DX without Ed Psych report

Without a DX you can't get them to believe you...... and on and on

so you doubt yourself Sad and go slowly amd which I have done tonight Blush and I apologise for being the MN misery and hijacking threads with this.

Cristina7 · 12/04/2006 20:13

"Without a DX you can't get them to believe you...... "

Yes, of course, as a parent that's what we all do, think the worst of our kids and come up with all sorts of imaginary problems. NOT (DS's diagnosis - deafness - wasn't found till he was 9 months old - because we both adapted our parenting style to him and believed the best.)

PutAPeachyInYourSimnelCake · 12/04/2006 20:20

If I was inclined that way I'd be at it with all three too, right? Whereas i think ds2 defines average. DS3 has some speech delay but nothing I worry much about TBH. More than happy with his social skills etc.

Apparently it's common though, there was another thread on this. I used to work at home Start and we had ASD kids, I worked in a young adult SN (severe) unit too, and I obvioulsy read LOADS when AS was mentioned: the first thing Paed wanted to know was why I knew about the syndrome.

I'm not a perfect parent: Sam's past behaviour has led me to be a bit jumpy where he's concerned, and I am constantly 'on top' of him at parties etc whereas some people think that's a bit OT. I don't do it with the others, that's a learned response that my Mum also used to do when she cared for him, and his alst school (who suggested Paeds in the first palce) did.

soyabean · 12/04/2006 20:57

Well I used to know this woman a bit and I am quite sure that their income is not at all average. They live in a huge house, dont know what her dh does (he certainly used to be around, havent seen/heard of them for at least 6 years or so)
her children used to go to my kids' school and they lived in an amazing Georgian house then, then moved to an even huger house with a staircase liek the one in Gone with the wind.
I have 3 kids and do think its nice to have a biggish family. Dh and I are both one of 4.

Cristina7 · 12/04/2006 21:35

(Soyabean - I replied to you on the thread about bicycles.)

Bronze · 25/04/2006 12:39

I'm very jealous of all of you with large familys. I'm currently pregnant with number 3 and to say money isn't an issue would be lying. Bed space is our largest problem. We can fit this one in by putting our eldest two in bunkbeds but I would never want my children to have to sleep top to tail. If they choose to thats fine by me but I don't want it to be necessary. We do hope one day in the future (when we've saved enough) to be able to extend so maybe then we can have more. I would love 4 or more and as I'm only 25 have the option timewise.

RachelPross · 09/02/2010 11:45

I;d love to have another baby, DD1 is 4 in June and DD2 is 2 in April, we have been umming and ahhing about a 3rd for months now, but can;t decide when the best time would be. Especialli as I am self-employed, it'll mean a big wage cut when I am on maternity leave.
How major is the jumo from 2 to 3 kids?

GenevieveHawkings · 09/02/2010 21:23

Unbearably smug and pretentious woman.

Why do we have to have her views rammed down our throats? Who is she anyway?

It's pretty clear she has money and is looking down on other people.

Yuck!

Lovecat · 09/02/2010 21:48

This thread is FOUR YEARS OLD!!

I only realised when I saw the codfish on it...

Why??????

borderslass · 10/02/2010 15:53

I know one family of 7 cf children whose names all begin with the letter M
another family who are catholic and dad is Irish have 6.

ILIVEONBENEFITS · 11/02/2010 01:18

I have six children and I find it really helps me to spread my rage around meaning that no single child gets all the shouting done to them..it makes me a better parent

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