19 kids and counting / safety

[MommyTVFan]

Hi
Followed Sue and Noel Radford and family on our tv programmes & see they have a new show on tomorrow (29/12/16).

Something I don't get is child safety in this and other larger families.

I mean I had 3 under 7 and I watch 2.5y old all the time, even when he is in older siblings room as there's bunk beds etc and even dressing up clothes can be dangerous

I know the Radford's have super high bunk beds and they always have around 4 kids under 6y I wonder how they supervise them? Or do you think kids like these and in other larger families are in hospital much more often ?

It would be hard for anyone to keep up a facade for the time I've spent staying with them in their house with my family, they are just like any other family except they have a lot of kids. So no I'm not speculating! They have also stayed in my house when they came to visit!! My children keep in contact with their children, almost every day!

I'm the youngest of 7 so I have no issue with larger families per se. We didn't have a lot growing up but my parents did do a lot with us, trips to the beach, picnics in the park (always had plenty people for a game of rounders). This is in pre benefit days so both parents worked. My mum always says that you noticed the increased work up to and including No3 but beyond that it never seemed to get worse. There wasn't a lot to keep tidy as we didn't have a lot of toys/clothes and we spent a lot of time outdoors. We didn't have any increase in accidents etc. No broken bones other than the odd finger and no stiches etc through childhood. There is only a 10 year gap between eldest and youngest in the family so it's not like the eldest were really parenting the younger ones. Whilst I would often want to go along with my elder brothers and sisters, they never had to take me. I can remember being taken out by myself to the cinema by my Dad or to the beach by my Mum etc.

However, I get the impression that the Radfords don't really "know" their children very well. I have two and DH and I seem to spend a lot of time discussing them including personality and their hopes and dreams. It just doesn't seem that the children have a lot of time with their parents though clearly we are only seeing a snapshot.

Although some of the children are clearly older and some are High School age, to me they still need their parents as much if not in some cases more that the little ones.

Babies and toddlers are physical hard work, primary age are more a mix of physical and mental work, High school kids may not be so much physically tiring but do need a lot of consideration and time to steer them through to adulthood.

Also how much are they being Grandparents to their grandchildren? That has been a relationship that their own children enjoy with their grandparents, but are Sue and Noel ever going to be able to form the same bonds with their own grandchildren?

Woesinwonderland you seem to think you know an awful lot about them, I would hope you don't know them in a professional way i.e teacher etc?! I mean how do you know them all by name?

We're discussing what the show has filmed. You have your opinion of Sue as her friend. Fair enough. But you can't force what they and the kids have said on the show.

Surely she knows their names as they have been on tv?

It's just no other poster refers to them by name? And she knows about sues jobs which isn't something she has ever put on her facebook or spoke about on their programmes?! Just seems a bit strange tbh, maybe she stalks them? Or maybe she knows them professionaly, like a teacher?

Or maybe she has Google

Maybe but not sure that kind of information is available on Google?

Justanormalmummy are you always this hard of thinking?

The Radfords have put all their details and the kitchen sink out for the public, you can't have a pop at people for knowing their names.

How long before this thread gets deleted too?

I'll give it to the end of the day maximum!

Slander a national treasure? how very dare you all?!

just anything I know is available to anyone. I am not involved in any way with them, but strangely seem to know more about them than you! Sue has kept many blogs over the years, been on loads of fora and online groups, where she has often been a prolific poster. Sophie and Chloe both have public FB accounts and Sophie in particular has a large number of followers (and she has requested people to follow her in the past) so it really isn't hard to get a glimpse into their lives, so I'm surprised you think I seem to have inside information.

I do follow the other large families that appeared on the show too, interesting to see the dynamics of very large families. From a psychological perspective it is fascinating to watch things unfold, as I said before I have nothing against the Radford's or their way of life, but interestingly they are the only parents who seem oblivious (whether that is purposely or not) to what their children are saying. I suppose I am interested in why that that is. They also seem to be the only one who get very angered by any criticism.

Furthermore I do not like speculation, hence if I know of any information that has come from Sue or Noel themselves then I set the record straight, such as when people say Sue has no qualifications/work experience I posted about her jobs (which I believe is on their family site under FAQ's)

Wow just you are a class act

I'm a class act? 😂 now that really is laughable your all on here slating the hell out of a family and hiding behind your MN name!! Woesinwonderland so you're trying to convince me you are interested in psychology while you're on here slandering Sue and Noel's parenting??

It was always me that ended up in A&E as a child. I don't think it mattered that there was 5 children I was just apparently always looking for mischief and even now I am very clumsy and accident prone

I'd love to chat to Sue. Would she be up for a brew? Rather than me hiding behind my MN name.

No one on here is slandering anyone ffs! They are commenting on the TV programmes and other articles that Sue and Noel have plastered their children all over for the past god knows how many years. They must have know it was only going to get them positive attention?

Msqueen33 inbox sue, I'm sure she would really enjoy that 😊

I was being sarcastic...

No there is no slandering

No they are not national treasures

Glad we cleared that up

Sas that wasn't in response to your post, I was accused of slandering the Radfords.

Ah I see...

Well that's still ridiculous, of course you're not, they put their personal lives online and on TV. People will have opinions.

I haven't read the whole thread but I just wanted to say that I come from a large family where all the children are very very Close in age and my mum became a single parent when the youngest was two and the eldest 10. I think only one of us ever visited A&E and he visited three times - two of those were due to accidents whilst outside playing with his friends and once due to a racist attack from an older child (he was old enough to play unsupervised with friends in the culdesac). My mum gave us all lots of time and did something with us everyday in the school holidays or at weekends. She worked from home at nights when is kids were all in bed. We grew up poor but happy and loved and without any risks greater than those in single child families.