*************************aged 12 and looking after the family*******************CH4 NOW

[Nemo2007]

looks interesting.

The mother of that boy seemed sodding lazy to me as well. My mother has Fibromyalgia - it's generally related to depression so it fits with this person. I understand that this woman's symptoms might have been particularly bad, but if she could manage to load up the fridge, I don't see why she couldn't hang the washing (even if son carried the basket outside). And if she can sit and do embroidery, why can't she iron the smaller items of clothing?

Symptoms tend to be that the muscles "fail" when you try to lift something heavy and ache contstantly. However, there didn't seem much consistency with her. Plus, FM sufferers have good days and bad. Why isn't she helping more on the good days?

It's not neglect to the same extent as the other family, but it was still upsetting.

The only thing I really thought about the other mum was, if you don't go out cos you're in so much pain, don't make him iron your bloody clothes.
Helping her put is one thing, being made to do a mountain of ironing is anohter.

i actually had nightmares last night after watching this

i was absolutely appalled, appalled, at the neglect of those children.

as has been said, i wonder if the parents are impaired in some way.....they seemed to think that they were providing a loving home for their children....

they must be in extreme denial or really unable to comprehend the damage they are doing.

that poor baby crawling under the bin, burning his mouth on too hot chips...and the kids sleeping where they dropped or in that boiling hot room

the bit that made me most of all was the younger girl's suicide attempt..why in gods name did social services not intervene then and insist on providing help

and the older girl being adamant she never wants a family......

absolutely heartbreaking...

i cannot believe they were talking about trying for a another child after losing two babies....

can they not comprehend the magnitude of that they are asking of the two older girls....

the mother and father seemed quite happy they were asking for a bit of help and support, yet , they did not even change the babies nappies all day while the girls were at school, even though the mum was shown earlier changing one..so she obviously can...

the sad thing is, some people watching it will presume all parents with some sort of needs , such as blindness, deafness, impaired mobility..will also parent like that....which is a dangerous and wrong opinion to have.

i really hope social services will intervene now and offer , in fact insist, on more help and some sort of parenting skills for the parents....

the baby;s babygro seemed black with dirt and the whole house just seemed squalid...

very very sad.

For the first time in my life I was tempted to log into this site at home last night, I was so horrified by that program and wanted to see what you all thought too.
I must admit I switched channel once or twice, so missed a few minutes but morbid fascination made me watch more.
From the time I watched, their only family outing was to an unborn sibling's grave once a month. How f*ed up is that ?
Was awake at 3am fretting about those poor children, especially the baby asleep on the floor (but it was OK because he had a pale coloured babygro and the carpet was dark so they wouldn't stand on him per the parents).
Rx

you can iron sitting up on a couch. i have when my legs were in braces and i couldn't stand up for very long.

just adjust the board.

if she could sit up to embroider she could sit up to iron.

the parents were DEFINITELY impaired more htan blindness.

all i could think of is how painful nappy changes must be for those children with the rash, trush and sores they must get from sitting in filth all day.

a female baby once DIED of septaecemia here because the parents neglected to change her nappy.

i know me and dh were sooo appalled by this espcially the not changing the nappies all day
the mum and dad sat outside having a fagand a beer whilst the two girls looked after the kids that they love soo much
if dad can manage to pour a beer surely he can change a nappy - and as for the they'll have to do it when they have thier own kids comment he made - they'll be lucky to grow up to being well adjusted adults ley alone want their own kids
the poor baby asleep on the floor with mum stepping over him (no we just let him sleep there) until the 12 year old comes home and puts him in his travel cot (not even put up properly) the little baby was filthy don;t think they changed his baby grow more then twice during the whle thing
the other little boys one of them looked far too old to have a nappy on at all

surley ss should be able to see from any visits they have made that this is not right and they are lucky that a serious accident hasn't happened

to me it looked like mum and dad did nothing all day until the two older girls got home and took over and then they ordered tea and had a drink!!

why does mum want 8 kids when she doesn't even seem to care for the ones she's got

i don't thnk that the neglect had a lot to do with them being blind they managed other stuff, they just didn;t seem tio be bothered about caring for their kids

does anyone else remember a similar programme on channel 4 a couple of years ago - it was about a man and woman i think one was nearly blind and the man was a bit deaf ( or maybe it was something else) and she was pregnant and already had a little girl - her parent's felt that they shouldn;t have had children
they were much better as parents he went out to work and i think she might have had a bit of help during the day but you could tell they loved their children and cared for them to the best of their abilities

I wasn't that distressed by the programme. I thought the filming was of the children and didn't show anything the parents did for them but I didn't presume that the parents did nothing all day.
I thought they definately need more help and didn't it say at the end of the programme that they had moved to a bigger house, only smoked outside now and had a family support worker.
The family seemed loving, that is much more than the case in some clean and fancy homes.
My family fostered and I know a bit about how unloved and neglected children can be. But also how traumatic it is to be removed from their family and put into care.
They just need more support.
I felt very sorry for the 14 year old boy and his mum, they were clean but both miserable.

I've emailed the Bicester MP too.

Lets hope something gets done.

Found this

and this

£28,000 tax free and they live in squalour like that?

I CANNOT stop thinking about those little children crawling around under bins etc like fucking dogs.

The more I read about this family, the more angry I become.

Mmm, I don't think anyone has said that 'being disabled disqualifies them from being parents'. I certainly don't think that. A couple used to come into our pub. They were both completely deaf and the mum was in a wheelchair with very limited mobility, yet their daughter was a delight and a real credit to them.

They say in that article that people wouldn't say anything about how they live if they were sighted but I think the neighbours would gossip about anyone who let their children live in such squalor but still carried on having more.

I didn't see the programm, but from what people have said the problem is not that these people are disabled, they seem to have a hoast of other problems that are the issue.

I have known of parents who have disabilities which the do not allow to affect their parenting. They get the help they need and their children would be a credit to any parent.

I have also see what happens to children who grow up in this level of deprivation, the effects are deep and long term, lasting way beyond the time the deprivation lasts.

this family needs help.

The trouble is (apparently) that the family are being offered help up the damn ying yang, but they refuse all but 2 hours a week cleaning from outside saying that their daughters can manage (will they expect their sons to chip in when they're older I wonder?)

How soul destroying to be their cleaner. Where would you start?

Just read those articles and they made me feel worse.

Doting parents? A journalist went to meet them and described them as doting? Dear God.

The get £28,000 a year in benefits and their housing is paid! I work all the hours god sends and FREQUENTLY get no sleep, as i work nights, so i can care for my son and earn my own money. I know people who are mentally or phisically disavled, and they work to the BESt of their abilities. There is NO reason why the husband here cant work.

The wee lad in the nappy is 5? 5 in a nappy?

He says ''With more children we hope they can live more normal and independent lives." Is this what they think is normal? Independant??

Here's the worst part - 'But the family budget stretches to a £500 flat-screen digital TV and a £1,200 computer' - What the hell for?? Do these blind parents need a flatscreen digital telly? I DONT think so! fair enough get a telly for the kids but bloody hell, i couldnt afford that. My 'puter was £300, all i could afford. And i work. But then to be fair i do dress my son in clean clothes and feed him off plates. And I change his nappy more than twice a day.

Amanda said: "I have very acute hearing and am tuned into my children's breathing.'' Well she didnt tend to her son when he was crying!

And Paul summed up the couple's feelings: "Even if people disapprove, we are a very happy bunch." You might be but your children are not.

Sorry everyone, i know i am going on but this has made me so SICK.

Hi just joined your website - excellent. I too watched the documentary last night and I literally sat open mouthed.

Did you all notice how soiled the babies clothes were yet the parents clothing looked more than satisfactory - very white.

Those poor poor children, each and everyone of them. The saddest thing is they dont know any different therefore adore their parents. Not only what they are experiencing now will cause them heartache and serious issues, can you imagine how they will feel when they realise just how bloody selfish, self centrered, lazy, irresponsible abusers their parents were to them.

Social Services are to blame too. How could they just accept this family did not want any further help? I could see there were LD issues after five minutes into the show.

Education Welfare are to blame. They should have picked up by the children's lifestyles.

Housing are to blame. They should have contacted Social Services as soon as they looked into giving them a bigger house.

Family are to blame.

The only poor little ones not to blame for this are the children and they are the ones who end up damaged.

god bless them.

yes did you here the husband as well he said that the nine year old had wanted to stop aring for the other kids butthen he said that she wouldhave to leave the young carers club thing so she carried on

isthat not blackmail!!

i hope something is done so that these children getthe proper care and attention they severly need

Unbelievable. If it's true that they have £28K a year and no housing costs, even with 6 children they could afford to pay a cleaner for a few hours themselves.

Where is the money going? Why are those poor babies crawling around with holes in their clothes and sleeping in a travel cot or on the floor?

On one of Hunkers links is a contact for SS in Bicester, so people can complain.

Unfortunately I dont think the money is going where it should be. Fags, booze and a good time for the parents I think. (how horrible do I sound, but i think its true).

Sorry if I sound nasty here but if the husband was so blind how comes he could drive his electric scooter?

I just cannot believe they were not picked up earlier by one of the public bodies. I know that in my job if I have any concerns I would either offer support to the family or refer to Social Services and I would keep on at them until I know something was being done.

i know in one of those links in the article it says that they ensure that any dangerous substances are locked away and that they use safety gates and that they prob more saety conscious than other parents

although the little boy chewing on an empty beer tin out of the bin, the baby crawling underneath the bin, the fact that ne three seperate occasions the little boy let himself out of the garden yes very safe