Let's hear it for large families

[christie1]

I had my fifth baby this year and if I hear one more time "I don't know how you do it" or a look of horror on faces of other mothers, I will scream. I know they don't get why I want lots of kids. I don't get why anyone just wants only one but I keep my judgements to myself. Any other mums out there relate?

HI gobbledigook

it is hard and i like yourself had most of my babys close together. plenty of sleepless nights and plenty of heart ache. but its well worth it. and as long as thay are loved and have full bellys it dont matter weather you have one or twenty

of course having 5 means that DH and I only have 1 day each to do housework. Once those DTs are a little bigger they'll get put on the chores rota. [evil grin]

ML how do you get yours to do chores im lucky if i can get mine to bring there dirty washing to the washroom. the only time mine will help if there's something init for them

had to invest in a 12 seat mini bus dh is hgv driver so likes big toys

belive me you can cause damage ask my local garage. i alone keep him in busness

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I find that being incredibly wicked to my children helps lol. As my sister says, I run a tight ship. If they don't do their share of laundry then their clothes don't get washed. They have to take their turn hoovering and tidying. I just tell them that they are all part of the same family and they need to play their part. DS1 went to school with dirty school shirts the other week. Hasn't done since. He can do a wash and knows how to iron. DD2 (6) sets and clears the table and takes her turn with hoovering. They all take turns at washing up. (Of course I sometimes have to re-do the jobs but they won't learn until they do them). I always do what I threaten. If they don't tidy their rooms then Mr Black Plastic Bag pays a visit.

See, unspeakable cruelty!

quick come to mine and show me how its done was thinking of getting in touch with super nanny but no need know i can plug you for info. and PMSL at mr black bag. look learning mn lingo

Mars - you're my kind of mummy

MARSLADY

JUST FOUND ACRONYM LIST arnt i clever

lol Well done Marmar. I'll be over in the morning. I'll do a Tanya on them (but not as nice) [evil cackle]

going to hold you to that lol

I am pg with no.4 and although most people are positive I have had a surprising number of "you are mad" comments (sincere, not humerous) and MIL asked if DH would be getting the snip now (her comment on no.3 was "thats disgusting"). Drives me bloody mad.

I part. like the 'badly' response. lol. Will try it!

wish i could afford to have more babies.

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When people say "I don't know how you do it" it's a compliment! Do please take it as one. If people look horrified it's not because they think your family is horrific but because they think about how badly they would cope.
I don't know how you do it without being a screaming harridan, and yes, that says much more about me than any of you (!), and I'll also admit to a twinge of envy that you have lots of lovely children. I think most of the people you complain about feel the same way as I do - amazed, awed and quite often, a bit envious too.

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i had tree under 3 ( now three under 4) - when i frist went out with all three for the first time, I could not have had more attention if I have been a two headed freak. The wispering and looks, often not very subtle ranged from pity to contempt in most cases - some people were kind but definitely in the minority. In that post pregnancy, slightly disheveled, disorganised, sleep deprived state that many of you may recognise. When three weeks after the birth if my third I was recovering from a really bad case of tonsillitis you could tell that some people thought that I had no education, claimed benefits and probably had different different fathers for my children( that really bad fly on the wall/ tv soap stereo type! It seemed to me that many people who talked to me who only had one or two children felt the need to lecture me on the financial benefits of only having two children or one, and how in families with three children how one will always be left out( how they know that I dont know a. because they are one of only two and b. as their are many factor which will affect siblings, personality, age gap, gender etc). ( ironically many of those with on one other sibling had some sort of contempt for them). I can see the merits of having only one child, and I can see the merit of having only two, but for me three was the magic number ( well sort of I would have loved four really, but I had a scare with my third and I realised how lucky I had been so now I am happy with what I have. live and let live I say.

My kids are 8, 6, 5, 3 and six months (with a miscarriage between the three year old and the new baby). I understand most people mean it as a compliment but I ehco the comment, just say , good job or well done without the commentary, like, how insane I must be. People do assume I am stupid because I have these kids and feel the need to lecture me about how to care for my kids usually when I do feel overwhelmed and they sense it and pounce. However I do get alot of postive comments too, I just needed to rant a bit. tHanks. I also agree, with all these kids, they are expected to help out and do more for themselves and help me out which is not a bad thing in the long run. I feel so good watching them plan and care for each other and at night them cuddle together as my 8 year old reads to the 3 year old. Makes it all worth it.

Marslady - you sound almost as evil as me. I make my kids hoover and polish their bedrooms and change their bedsheets and duvets, the older 2 can iron and know how to load the washing machine, and they each make their own packed lunches for school. They each have two chores each morning and night, things like sweeping the floor, wiping the table, loading the dishwasher, emptying the bins, drying the dishes and a rota is pinned to the dining room wall so I can check who's been skiving (as they frequently do)! They are all pretty good at doing them on the whole - have recently had to crack down on dh though who was being a lazy sod, so enforced a sex ban for nearly two weeks and was a general mardy cow and refused to talk to him for almost 3 days. It worked - I came down one morning determined not to even acknowledge his presence and found the washing machine was on, washing was hanging on the line, the bottles had been made up, the dishwasher was on, the 2 little ones were contentedly watching c beebies and dh was doing the ironing - yes you read that right, doing the ironing! I was so shocked I said "wow this is fantastic" or something along those lines before I forgot I was suppposed to be ignoring him! He's been a changed man since! And I'm much nicer to be around now that the sex ban is over.

006 - my car is an 8 seater Tourneo which is a bit like a mini bus with a boot big enough to put my pushchair in without folding it up first. Cost almost £20,000 but well worth it and wouldn't be without it now.

i have four and would like another, my mum always jokes that out of herand her brothers and sisters she was the only one to have a child, but that child(me) is busy repopulating the whole of east anglia, cheek!