A happy, smiley thread for having 3+ DCs...

[Misfitless]

Morning!

I'm forever lurking (and often posting) on the one-child family boards, and they've currently got a thread about what's brilliant about having an only child (It's not the first one I've seen over the years.)

I thought we could have a similar one.

We all know that we have less money than if we had one/two, we know there's more laundry, more activities to chauffeur them to and from in our larger cars that take use more fuel, our grocery bills are shocking, there's more arguing, etc, but...

I love having 4 DCs (small by standards on here, tbh ) because...

To me, it's just more fun (I've had two, so I speak from experience and I know this is true!)

I think it makes them more resilient -

Even if they've just fallen out with one sibling, there's always someone to still be friends with/play with

I think it does them good not to be the centre of my entire universe...collectively they are, but because there are four, this is obviously diluted, so far less less intense

There are loads more, but I don't want to hog all the pros!

I have four DC. My little ones play with each other, love each other, help each other, they protect one another and occupy themselves as I'm not always able to play with them 24/7. They are also all so different,

Isaac (9)- Funny, witty and a fantastic Tennis and Football player.
Delilah (7)- Intelligent, caring and great at gymnastics.
Ephra (4)- Ambitious, bright and good at noticing details.
Rosie (4)- Outgoing, cute and very musical for a four year old.

I love my beautiful children and I love that I'm always busy, caring for them and developing them into stronger people. Plus, what else would I spend my money on?

Ah..lovely names, and personalities, too by the sounds of it!

Not much take up on this thread, eh?

I thought it might be a bit too..fluffy, but thought I'd go with it anyway!

Thanks, they're lovely as I'm sure yours are. It's a good idea anyway, and I love having more than one child, it makes us feel more like a family. I remember when it was just DS and he used to get little bored, but now there's no time for boredom!!!

They always have someone to play with even if all their friends are on holiday.

They have someone to play board games with.

They stand up for each other (when they're not trying to kill each other).

They have someone else (the toddler usually) to blame when they've nicked all the fruit/biscuits/ chocolate.

Slightly morbid but relevant to me at the moment but they'll always have each other when DH and I are gone.

I love watching them play together, hearing the house full of laughter being woken up by bouncing kids on the bed or hearing the twins chatter to each other through the baby monitor. Watching them try and paint the dog or wrestle with him. I love how they dog pile DH when he comes home from work, I love the extra amount of cuddles and dribbled kisses I get!! My favourite is watching them become indiviuals and watch some of myself and DH in them

Kvothe (5) - Love of all things space, bright, out-going, helpful to us and his siblings, polite, creative and out-spoken. Loves science , books and plays Ice Hockey.

Aubrey (3) - Shy, outdoorsy, easily amused, always laughing, alwaus sharing her toys, loves to plant things and dance to daddy's guitar.

Domeczek (23mo) - Loud, boystrous, energetic, daredevil, loves mess play, loves leaves and worms. Would sleep with the dog if we let him.

Dieter (23mo) - Quiet, energetic but cautious, loves his twin more than anything, loves puzzles, prefers to speak German than English, loves when DH plays "why are you hitting yourself" with him, loves Disney and Ballet.

Artemis (10mo 8mo adj) - Loves exploring, happy go lucky, loves her eldest brother, smiles constantly, loves being tickled, stubbornly independant.

Apollo (10mo 8mo adj) - Has SPD loves to be carried everywhere, hates strangers and hard plastic toys, loves loves water and glow sticks, loves to bounce, irritable, hardly laughs or smiles, loves being naked, moody, stubborn, excited by his toy dragon.

I love them all to pieces and cannot wait to see how they shine and grow each year :)

Yours sound lovely, too MultipleMama.

I wonder if baby 7 will be like any of them, or altogether different.

Who knows. I can't wait to find out though :)

I have 5dc, 18, 16, 14, 3, 1
There is always company
They are each others best friends
We are a party of fun all on our own and when we get together with other big families its totally fab
Never time to be bored

I love the noise.

It doesn't matter if you fall out with your friend, there is always someone to play with at home.

Develop resilience and the ability to negotiate and compromise.

Learn independence, and increased self-esteem that goes with that.

Lovely to watch older siblings caring for and teaching younger ones.

Develop confidence and the ability to stick up for yourself.

To know that you are not the centre of the universe, which will set DC up well for life in the real world.

We've just had DS3. He was a surprise. He's 10 days old today.

Already our family feels more balanced, more rounded. The older DTs (4 yr old boys) have relaxed and are playing so nicely together, for hours.

They adore their little brother. I am

Ah you lot are making me so excited for the future! Currently pregnant with dc3 and I've always wanted 4. Everyone is always so negative about me wanting lots of children but I love having 2 and can't wait to add dc3 to the madness!!

Just talking about babies is making me excited!

It it's lovely watching the older ones dote on the new baby.

You only ever eat very fresh bread or cake, it's never there long enough to go stale.

You learn the art of relaxing amongst chaos and zoning out noise well enough to do stuff that a lot of people require complete silence for. Same as being able to sleep on the floor/in a noise.

When you are out with just x2 DC's for the day (or even 1) it feels like a holiday.

With babies 3 and 4 no-one interferes or tries to give you rubbish advice (or if they do you have the confidence to completely ignore them).

If another large family comes to play its like a party and they all run round entertaining themselves (until they need feeding) and you can sit with you feet up.

No one expects you to iron so you can give it up guilt free.

The baby weight falls off because you are constantly on the go.

I only have 3 DCs, so a tiddly little family But I came home from work last night, tired and grumpy. DD3 came rushing out to see me and get a cuddle. Then, when she went to set the table (her turn), DD2 came over to the sofa and flumped down beside me for a cuddle while we watched telly. Then, after they had both gone to bed, I went upstairs and read a favourite book from my childhood with DD1, cuddled up onm her bed.

The message here is, having 3 DCs means I always have a little (or not so little, DD1!) person to cuddle

WhoMoved - I found that I'm no longer so stressed. I've given up on being "perfect" and just going with the flow. When I'm overwhelmed by the DC acting up I laugh instead of cry. This that used to get to me don't any more. I've become more relaxed but a little more organised.

I remembering looking after dc1 alone for the first time and he was crying and I was searching for the problem. Now I've had experience in baby talk, I just pick them up and deal with it.

I've learnt how to multi-task! I can now get showered (me and baby) and dressed without removing baby from the boob!

I've also learnt that I will continue to make mistakes at some point but that doesn't mean I'm a bad mother or that I should dwell on things. After doing the same mistake learning curve with dc5 as I did with Dc1 I've decided just to let it drop and get on with things!

Best thing I love about having a big family is mastering the ultimate power nap. No less than 10 minutes but any longer than 15 minutes and you become more tired. Take them as often as you can but no more than 3 times a day or risk not being tired enough to sleep at night. And anywhere even the laundry room is a good place to nap

We only have 3 DC so on the "small" end of large families

I love how they interact. They're all quite young still (5, 3 and 7mo) but already the older ones like to involve their little brother in their games.
It just feels the right level of 'busy' - there's always some than going on!
When we meet up with friends and bring our three into the mix, it's like an instant party

I was one of three, so with 2 DC I just never felt that we had a proper, complete family. It was too nice and neat! You need a bit of chaos and lots of children running around to make a house a home!

And while it is in a way more expensive to have more children, on the other hand everything gets thoroughly used - toys, clothes, baby items; there's no waste! And if I want to buy something expensive for DS1 I can always sell it to DH as an investment as it will get passed down to his brothers in time

Really pleased to have found this thread. We have just decided to start trying for a third and I have received a lot of negative comments from my family when discussing this in the past. It is great to hear some lovely positives about larger families.