Tell me the best things about having a large family

[AlwaysTheMummy]

I long to have a large family but my dc2 is only 13weeks old so a little while longer yet.

Please enlighten me with what you believe are the best things about having a large family.

xx

It's hard to say because none of us have small families to compare it with

I think if we had stuck at two children, then we would now have only teens, and not the joy of younger children. So having a larger family prolongs each stage. It also means that you have more variety of personalities.

For us, we started out with 2 boys, and now we have 2 boys and 3 girls, so had we not had a large family, we would have missed out on daughters.

For the children, they have more people to love. Sounds cheesy, I know. However, if I think of my second child - he is quite an enigma - very much a maverick concerned with his schoolwork and his relationship with us, but he absolutely adores his younger sisters. It is a real bonus in his life to have younger siblings.

You are never lonely as never on your own and rarely depressed as simply no time to be. They have to learn to be great at sharing and great at taking it in turns. People smile when they see us coming like a line of little ducklings. And as scienceteacher says the older ones love the little ones like you would never believe, and the little ones hero worship the biggies.

well......I would say the noise, the bustle, the fun, the love, the 'never being bored', the laughter, the joy of seeing them interact and get on, the joy of seeing how compassionate they are with each other, the 'mummy' and 'daddy' we get if we have been out without them and just got back, the....well.....everything.

BUT

surely smaller families also get that. so me saying all those as benefits kind of makes it seem as tho I am getting something 'better' in some way, and that is simply not true, it is just on a larger scale!

I would not be without my lot, and I have to say, when I just have one it seems all quite tame and boring.......and quiet. and, whoever is the one on their own, misses their siblings almost painfully at times.......altho then again, sometimes they don't.

I physically ache if I am without them all, but again, so do mums of one and two!

I would be healthier tho I fear, or at least, less of an alcoholic.

I sometimes wonder where my life would have headed if we had just stopped at two.....and simply cannot fathom it. I guess I was made to be a mum of many

i only have one child, but i'm young. i was an only child til i was 8...and now i have 5 brothers!

large families are the best! dont know if they are for the parents...i couldn't have 6 children! but i'm so glad my parents did.

everyone learns to respect each other, turn take. theylearn to listen...and how to be heard above the noise! someone always has a story to tell. the family breaks into groups on different days so there are lots of people to talk to and share things with on a one-to-one basis. there are so many personalities and that is interesting and arms children with more of an understanding of those they meet throughout life.

the best part is sitting around for big family meals, everyone talking above each other, laughing, and giving their individual opinions. i was quite an introspective child before they came along, in my own world. but my brothers are much more sociable.

and my mum always says she has six children to visit for dinner for six days of the week in years to come. and surely we can all club together to pay for a fabulous nursing home for my parents in the twilight of their years

she has warned how she doesn't see how the family home will be worth much split six ways tho...

Baby sitters already in place if you leave a big enough gap (oldest 21 youngest 2). You can actually do things (like washing up, washing clothes, ironing, hoovering, cooking, trying to study) without having the kids on your back demanding to be entertained as with 4 of them in the house plus the various floating friends about the place they can get on with entertaining each other. When the younger girls get older and are going out with idiots their friends they have 3 big brother all ready in place to take care of them and anyone else.

The downside is the house is a tip and the fight for the bathroom in the morning is very lively. Also they don't like being on their own and get bored very easily.

Sorry if I'm intruding as I only have 2 atm, but I am 1 of 5 girls. I do love having 4 sisters, unfortunately both of my parents are dead, dad at 49 mum at 59. I live far away from my sisters but I still feel part of a family, we all have our ups and downs, but they are there and that is such a comfort. We don't all get on, but are always there in a crisis. I am the youngest by 7 years and was babysat by my sisters, but young enough to share memories of playing daft games with my next oldest sister. I love hearing stories about when my older sisters where younger etc.

I would love to have more dc but our situation is crap, I really want a large family, god knows why as I never even wanted kids in the first place (accident). lol

They always have someone to play with (although alwasy someone to argue with too!!)

Its never dull

I get differnet kids of cuddles all the time

Older ones are great at helping with younger ones

There are lots of easter eggs for me and dh to stal and eat

My kids seem much more relaxed and easy going than most of their friends, they seem to cope better with sharing and waiting their turn and are happy to entertain themselves for a while. They have a kind of pack mentality, not sure how this will work in the teenage years though

As an adult with five siblings I can share loads of great things about being part of a big family!

Having so many siblings means you are never lonely, there is always someone to have a laugh with, get help or support from, pop over for supper, always someone on the end of the phone if you need it. My siblings and I are all pretty close and look after each other and support each other loads, I couldn't imagine not having them around, or only having one sibling to turn to if I need it. So, even as adults, I think there are lots of benefits to having a large family.

There is loads of love, lots of laughing and fun (as well as lots of arguing and heated debates!) and if you get a bit annoyed with or sick of one sibling it doesn't matter as there are others around instead!