15 kids and counting

[AKissIsNotAContract]

Starting in 15minutes on channel 4. Anyone else going to watch this?

Oscar for the Radfords.

was there a blog for the morcambe family?

Thanks!

I wonder if Channel 4 paid for the holiday though? Just a thought as it will have made for better TV.

I really liked the Morecambe family as well. I thought the Kent family was a bit OTT.

Insofar as the financial situation of the Morecambe faimly, isn't it possible they just happen to have some money in the family?

I think they must have, BytheSea

ah I take that back as the Telegraph article says they go every year.

After 15 children can you imagine the state of her pelvic floor muscles? Surely they must weaken after so many pregnancies.

lot's of judgy on the breast feeding
plenty of folk dont breast feed

I agree - what's breastfeeding got to do with a desire to have lots of kids or not? I'm not surprised at formula feeding at all - ffs, the woman had twins and has 9 kids already to look after. I doubt she could sit down for an hour every few hrs to feed her twins whilst the younger kids are running amok!

I think everyone is polarising the families and I don't think it's fair. Morecambe family good, Kent family bad. I think they were both loving families and they both had their issues in their own ways. Did wonder why the eldest child of the Kent family wasn't shown who appeared half black in a newspaper article. I agree the morecambe mum looked very patient and calm but who knows what goes on behind closed doors and all that.

No matter how self financing these families appeared to be, they are still a massive drain on the country's purse.

I hate that this has yet again turned into to "how can they afford it" thread
What are we? DM staff?
The families were great, loving and the kids are clearly well looked after.

No not how can they afford it but how can the country afford it? What if everyone suddenly decided to have 10 kids? Do you think your child would get a place at your local school or would they have go 3 miles away where no-one really wanted to go? This is happening already in areas where the birthrate is very high due to certain ethnic groups in an area.And before you jump down my throat...I'm not a DM racist - I am one of those ethnic minorities!

How many kids have you got black? Maybe more than one is too many and we should have a one child policy like China . Mabe even one is too many and there should be a lottery where you bid fr the chance o breed. I know I'm being ridiculous but do be careful - the logical conclusions of your argument are quite scarey, and that is not the kind of state I would like to live in.

Funny how judgy this thread has got!
This is a lovely article about the Morecambe family...goes into a bit more detail about their daily lives than the programme showed. They live near me and I know someone who is friends with them and they are just as normal and nice as the programme makes them out to be....oh yes and the article says they get a big discount at their Lanzerote hotel ;)

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/8972550/Fifteen-children-and-counting....html

That's nice clarice.

It's easy for people to forget these are real mothers with real children, and they have made concious choices about their family size (as most of us have), and really, why tear them down? They're not perfect, I'm sure, but their kids seem loved and fed and clothed and cared for - really nothing to judge is there?

Do calm down black I think its highly unlikely that everyone is 'suddenly going to decide to have 10 kids'

That would take a cultural shift of monumental proportions.

And despite your panicking about ethnic minorities, that isnt going to happen.

As the mother of five children I can confirm that the vast majority of other women react with utter horror at the idea of having more than two and are happy to explain why to me (whether I want to know or not - I dont btw)

I'd like to know how they still have the energy for sex. Knackered mother of three speaking.

Ah, but if she breast fed she might not have 11 children to look after.

I would imagine if people began to have more children, and (state) schooling became an issue, governesses might make a comeback, as people would be unwilling/unable to pay for privately educating them all, but having one live in person to educate them all might work out much better.

The reason we cant get school places, isnt because families are suddenly having 10 kids. Its more likely because crap governement keep closing schools!

The family that home schooled seemed to be modelling themselves on the famous Duggar family from the US, I think their last series was 19 kids and counting

So its ok to be interested as long as its not about the money side. Of course people want to know how they afford it and thats not a judgement, its fascinating.

Also think BF has a lot to do with wanting a big family, if you are that maternal then surley you would want to BF?

saturdayescape at your breast feeding comment.

I can assure you as a formula feeding mum, I am very maternal.

I feel tired after watching! Also amazed that the telegraph article has their weekly food bill at Asda as £250! That seems very good value for 18 people (Sophie's bf lives with them too)
Would be fascinated to see a meal plan/shopping list.

Seb the crab, obviously not that maternal unless bona fida reasons

saturdayescape at your BF-ing comment too. Would you like to hear about my friend's friend's baby who died from dehydration because her mother insisted on exclusively BF-ing despite medical advice to supplement with bottle-feeding? I am sure she will feel comforted by the thought that she was so 'maternal' her baby died as a result.