Experiences of 5 children plus?

[ghouliee]

From children's or parents' perspective please!

Two have chosen not to have children of their own, two have a normal number of offspring, and one reproduces their own experience with knobs on - seven children.

All boys then 😂

As one of five siblings it was brilliant and awful (in equal measures) growing up. I had brothers close in age to me and turned out to be a real tom boy. We're still really close as adults. In fact, this year we had a siblings/parents holiday and it was so wonderful to reconnect closely as adults.

We were hard up. Days out were rare. Meals out never happened. Hand-me-downs were the norm. We had to compromise on what to watch on the TV. There were regular fights over the remote. But I wouldn't change it for the world. You always had company and it was never quiet.

I know my mum usually felt harassed. I didn't care at the time but I empathise now. She would just ignore us if we were fighting. We all turned out alright though and we still love each other so it can't have been too bad.

What is it you want to know. I have 5 kids and happy to answer specific questions. In the main it's absolutely exhausting and I'm frazzled quite often. We are lucky in that our household income means our kids get opportunity's to have holidays and do clubs. We (my husband and I) have definitely forgone our adult social lives to allow our children to do what they want to in both time and money. We spend hours driving them about and I'm very focused on making sure they are afforded opportunities and that our family size does not mean they miss out.

My house is constantly a shit tip, I'm learning to let that go as there's only so much time in a day.

I must add thought it's worth remembering that a lot of experiences of large families are also true for smaller families e.g. I was one of 2 and had some totally shit times when money was very scarce and I was lonely quite often even with a sibling 18 months younger. My adult cousins were a 3 child family and none of them have chosen to have children. Childhood experiences aren't specific to family size but more the circumstances the family find themselves in.

Hi! I’m currently studying relationship therapy and am looking for a couple with a big family (5+ kids) who would be open to sharing their experiences 😊

I’m especially interested in how you navigate everyday life, connection, and intimacy as a couple while managing a busy family life.

I’d love to have a relaxed chat with you, and of course everything will be anonymized, names and any identifying details will be changed.

If this sounds like something you’d be comfortable with, or if you have any questions, feel free to send me a message 💌