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 ?

couple. father!

Do you think they pay the daughter that works in the bakery a fare wage?

My Dh wondered when Sue is unable to have any more children, will Noel stay with her or go and find someone else to have kids with?

I bet they go for fertility treatment when she starts showing signs of menopause to get that last one or two babies out

He seems to be quite affected by his adoption. Saying two fingers up to his birth family. I wonder in part if that drives it. I found it weird that they all agreed that when they have one baby they immediately want to move onto the next so it sounds like they're addicted. Noel seems to be the driving force and I feel for Sue as she's completely trapped. I don't begrudge anyone collecting benefits but you think huge families don't help. Practically day to day I wonder how they do all the homework. Their kids seem to really dislike being part of a big family.

I bet they go for fertility treatment when she starts showing signs of menopause to get that last one or two babies out

Hmm, I wondered this too. They seem to be addicted to babies and not children IYSWIM. In previous programmes, did they admit to locking the kids in their bedrooms, or have I imagined that? It seem like that would be the only way they'd get the chance to have sex.

My FIL was one of 15, way back in the 1940s. I think it's kind of telling that not one of his siblings (or himself) went onto to have more than two kids.

The Duggars went to see a fertility adviser after they lost Baby #20. I'd say the Radfords will do something similar.

Didn't the nurses/midwives speak about Sue being very high risk a few episodes ago? The one where they lost Baby Alfie?

I'm Irish and families of 14+ were common up to the very recent past.

It's quite usual for families here to have 4 children but I think that falls into the "larger families" bracket on MN.

Sue has said several times that they are strict about bedtimes and start controlled crying at 6 weeks to get them into a routine. In one of the programmes Noel took the door handle off so that the little ones couldn't leave the room. By their own admission they are getting plenty of "adult time".

I think they should call it a day on the meeja appearances (for the privacy of their children) however they have a massive fan base who are in total adoration of them (one fan said statues should be made of Noel and Sue ) so that combined with the extra money I really think they will keep going as long as they can.

I remember that Eagle

Despite blaming taking the pill as the cause of her first miscarriage and that being the moment they decided to let "god" decide how many they had, it is apparently ok to take drugs to "catch a baby"

How on earth would they afford fertility treatment anyway? Surely no one would sponsor or pay for it for them?

I wish they'd get some therapy or something

The Duggars went to see a fertility adviser after they lost Baby #20. I'd say the Radfords will do something similar.

Yes they did, but their branch of christianity requires that the "wombs be open" and a woman's primary purpose in life is to reproduce. It will be interesting to see what will become of the Radford's when they stop having children. They said before they would like to adopt but i'm not sure that they would qualify?

I could imagine them maybe Doing respite fostering in 10 y time if baby 19 is the last and all children are at secondary school/ left home

I also wonder about the grandparent dynamic of sue and Noel being grandparents of Sophie's 3 kids. Do they babysit them! Or is Sophie still expected to never endingly assist her own parents?

Also looks like their elder son Chris is having a baby with a woman who already has 4 kids by different men and she is still only early 20s. Maybe he is following his dad

I think, to be fair to them, they probably did "ok" financially. I mean owning/ running a bakery puts you into small local business person status. They live in an extremely cheap part of the country and bought an old care home. Noel seems fairly handy with the DIY. I think we're assuming poverty due to the sheer number of children but that's a little unfair. As a PP said I'm Irish and large families of 10+ were not uncommon from my parents generation.

Yes they do seem extraordinarily disturbed from their childhoods (although sues parents seem lovely and supportive) and I honestly don't think the family is best off being as big as theirs and also being obsessed with babies. Noel reminds me a bit of my friends dad- 12 children and they both worked their arses off. When she was at uni they discovered he had also had the time to have an affair for 20+ years. He was just a sex mad pig.

When I said did ok i meant when they first became involved in TV. I suspect now they make their money from
Their media

When they brought baby Phoebe home it was like she was a toy being passed around. Not nice for the baby i would imagine!

I have five, and I'm one of six myself,it was really hard work when they were small and we made a conscious decision to have regular 1 to 1 time with each child by planning and timetabling so that this could take place. Even now they are mostly adults we still do this whenever work commitments allow. I imagine with so many it would be impossible to ever get any 1 to 1 time with any of them. I don't know how they manage to supervise homework or listen to them read even never mind things like swimming and music lessons and getting them to activities outside the home.
I'm always struck by how few toys there are, particularly once past baby stage toys and also how we never see the dc actually playing. You would think the house would be full of Lego and playmobil and barbies and the like really.
The noise and the fighting and hitting amongst the children that we saw last night would drive me potty tbh but with so many to supervise I don't suppose it's easy to even begin to address.

Artandco I had five under four - was partly multiples though but yes the ratios are very different.

When they brought baby Phoebe home it was like she was a toy being passed around. Not nice for the baby i would imagine!

I disagree on that one, it must be lovely to always have someone to hold you until the next one is born and the novelty has worn off. It was a bit sad to hear Millie saying that she thinks Sue prefers the babies over the older children. I wonder when they hear these things does it not make them think?

She just doesn't know what to do with the older kids because she didn't get to grow up herself. She is still like a child mentally.
Babies are cute and easy to manage for her. Once they can walk/talk they're on their own.
Older ones are glorified babysitters.

He's a creepy fucker who targeted a very vulnerable child. She just wants to be loved.

The bit with baby Phoebe where one of the older ones was holding her and said something like "who's turn is it next?" I just thought oh that poor fucking baby, do these people not realise she is a human being?!

They apparently spend £300 a week/ £1200 a month on food alone

To feed 20 odd people that's not much. That's £15 per head per week.

Sure, but if your family household income is only around £30k, spending almost £15k on food is huge. As there's still mortgage/rent, utility bills, petrol, clothing, life in general

I've just caught up.

The general sex talk referring to their parents was err... odd imo.

I think the talk with the girl teens was realistic and fine imo. Much better to have a laugh about contraception and be able to talk to your mum about it than parents laying down the law and wagging their finger.

The Australian family actually messaged to insist on being called Mr and Mrs?! That's not traditional, that's rude and unwelcoming.

I would prefer programmes about day to day logistics too.

No-one knows for sure how much the bakery brings in, the online side of it might booming due to their fans who think they are "amazing". Plus the tv shows and other tv appearances on This Morning etc.

Did anyone watch the fb video of Sue receiving her xmas present?.....a new car! You would think the money they must pay out at Xmas there would be nothing left in xmas fund savings.