Does anyone with lots - envy those with less?

[mulranno]

Do you sometimes wonder what your life would be like if you had stopped at 2 children?....

Yes i think that sometimes

Then one goes somewhere for a day and it seems too quiet. And I am glad I made the choices I did.

No I do not envy those with less. I just feel fortunate to be able to have children and also the amount too. Got four.

When DS4 was born and I was (not) coping with x4 kids under 5 I developed postnatal depression and frequently questioned the wisdom of having such a large number of little boys. I felt that singleton parents didn't know they had been born and was deeply jealous of those with 'only' three.

Now the youngest is 2 1/2 and my depression and the exhausting early years are history I do not regret any of them for a minute. Four is just brilliant - they play with each other and are so proud of their siblings. It feels that as a family of six we can take on the world. Ok we can't afford to go out for big meals, have expensive days out or holiday abroad but big families are FAB and I wouldn't swap my lot for anything.

I look at some of our friends on similar incomes routinely heading off to Spain or Greece every year and have a slight pang on envy before I give myself a good shake and robustly tell myself that camping in the UK is both more fun and more eco-friendly.

Also the ease with which smaller broods are dispatched to Granny's or Auntie's house for the odd weekend.

Also those never-to-return hours I have spent on pairing socks laundry.

But would I swap my gang? Never!