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21 kids and counting

765 replies

thannyflaps · 03/01/2019 22:00

Just watching the latest episode - how on earth do they afford to run that household? iPhones for the kids, holidays to Spain for 20 people, a new kitchen.

There is no way a bakery would generate that much money. Would channel 4 really pay that well for their participation in the programme?

Thanny Flaps

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Redcrayonisthebest · 04/01/2019 16:57

I have a question, the part about Millie's birthday..... isn't Millie a twin and if so presumably it was his birthday too, was that mentioned?

brizzledrizzle · 04/01/2019 16:58

I just watched as much of the house video as I could stand. What was wrong with that old kitchen apart from one missing drawer front (?) which is easily fixed. How could she throw all those pairs of shoes away? Surely they could go to charity or be handed down?

The girls room is awful, minimal space between the beds and then that huge flat screen TV - I suppose that's because of the girls not wanting to be in the room with the younger children all the time.

How is that boy's room messy? The hardly have anything in it?!
That bed in the other boys room under the sloping roof looks bad, he can't sit up in it surely? Same with the other bedroom in the eaves, and having those two babies in the boys room!

We all make do with our houses but we don't all go adding more and more children that don't really fit.

UnderMajorDomoMinor · 04/01/2019 17:20

People on MN really have the knives out for the Ratfords. It’s not a life I’d choose but I really don’t think that the slagging off of them is on. It gets very personal very quickly.

Noel and Sue spoke in the very first episode (which was part of a wider series on big families) about growing up through the care system. It explained a huge amount about their reasons for having a massive family and their relationship.

I really do not think Noel is abusive. If the police or SS had any concerns they’d be round there like a shot. It’s not like they’re hard to find! People slagging them off on social media and using a highly edited show as evidence does not equal evidence. The show last night was an hour, to get that they will have taken in excess of 100 hours footage. To stir up ire on SM to get the viewing figures for the advertisers, it is on channel 4’s interest to show the more controversial elements - aka the boys fighting. Why the Ratfords are ok with that it beyond me, but I don’t think the show will be representative of a typical boring day!

I’m not a fan, but I don’t think they are awlful at all.

woolduvet · 04/01/2019 17:22

Does anyone feel like the family outings (pram shopping etc) feel a bit fake. As in they wouldn't normally take all the children, they don't seem to know how to handle them when they're all together.

IHaveBrilloHair · 04/01/2019 17:22

Why do the boys have different names, yet the girls basically have the same one with slight variations?Confused

creamcheeseandlox · 04/01/2019 17:51

Of course they wouldn't usually take all the kids shopping. Who in their right mind would. It's all staged...

IHaveBrilloHair · 04/01/2019 17:55

I noticed immediately, in fact I think it was the introduction that it was said Sue had her first child 29 years ago, funny, they didn't mention her age at that time.

KittensAndCake · 04/01/2019 17:55

Noel and Sue spoke in the very first episode (which was part of a wider series on big families) about growing up through the care system

Weren't they adopted as babies though?

Xmastummyhasgonebig · 04/01/2019 18:02

Just watched the house tour, a few of the older ones have their own room with lots of space, but again minimal personal touches in the rooms

I saw lots of toys in the younger kids rooms, plus the lounge.

The house seems quite nice I thought!

bluebellpillow · 04/01/2019 18:04

wool the trips are definitely for the benefit of the shows as they have previously said they never take the children shopping as it would be a disaster.

Under there has been incriminating stuff on other shows that they mustn't have picked up as something negative as Sue has said on FB 'this show was so amazing to watch'. Things like the door handle removal most people would be embarrassed about I would have thought, or the DC saying their parents wouldn't notice if they went missing. Considering they get very annoyed by criticism you would think that they would be careful about what was aired. It may be of course that they are so used to all of this that they don't think it is anything controversial.
FWIW I don't think they are awful, certainly the children could do a lot worse, but I really dislike their initial gloating about not accepting benefits when that was clearly untrue.

ILoveMaxiBondi · 04/01/2019 18:12

If the police or SS had any concerns they’d be round there like a shot.

Don’t be so naive! The police are really not interested in abusers. And SS threshold for intervention is so much higher than this. Honestly.

BabyNameBook · 04/01/2019 18:16

Could you imagine SS trying to take all those kids into care Shock

TheCraicDealer · 04/01/2019 18:22

Noel and Sue spoke in the very first episode (which was part of a wider series on big families) about growing up through the care system. It explained a huge amount about their reasons for having a massive family and their relationship.

That maybe explains up to baby no. 8 or so, but they're on 21 now. I think it stopped being about "having a big family" a long time ago, particularly as a lot of Sue's motivations appear to revolve around the pregnancy/birth/newborn stage.

famousfour · 04/01/2019 18:24

I’ve not watched this butbtheir children must span quite an age range. How many do they actually have at home?

70sbaubles · 04/01/2019 18:25

Not that I think it's ideal but the door handle thing is surely safer than kids wandering round at night?

potatoscone · 04/01/2019 18:27

Not that I think it's ideal but the door handle thing is surely safer than kids wandering round at night?

Not having so many children you can't keep track of them at night is surely safer!

ILoveMaxiBondi · 04/01/2019 18:27

Not that I think it's ideal but the door handle thing is surely safer than kids wandering round at night?

Shock

Yes, can’t have children leaving their rooms to escape a fire. Can you imagine if Noel and sue didn’t wake up during a fire and all those children couldn’t get out of their rooms?

ILoveMaxiBondi · 04/01/2019 18:29

I wonder if they engage with a HV with each new baby. There would definitely be concerns about mums ability to cope from a HV perspective. I wonder if they ever make referalls and how that pans out.

bluebellpillow · 04/01/2019 18:31

I don't think the lack of things in the older children's bedrooms is a big deal. They seem to be into gaming and they have consoles. Not all teens are into 'stuff' (especially boys). There are some pictures I've seen on IG of kids bedrooms and they literally have a bed in them and nothing else, seems to be a Scandi thing.
The younger ones have toys in a corner in the living room.

TickTockClocks · 04/01/2019 18:31

I don’t understand the problem with the way Noel spoke to the children in the bathroom either. Can anyone explain it to me?

bluebellpillow · 04/01/2019 18:34

famousfour they have 20 living children, all but 2 at home. Aged 23 down to the newborn

dannydyerismydad · 04/01/2019 18:41

DS has no volume control at all. He shouts his way through life and it drives me potty. That noise magnified 20 times over would send me to the asylum.

And I'd never keep on top of all that washing.

Rather than than me.

They seem to have made something of a career of their family choices (as have many in this era of Facebook and Instagram). Their USP is babies. I wonder if they now feel compelled to continue growing the family to support the lifestyle their growing family has brought them.

HelenaDove · 04/01/2019 19:03

HowlsMovingBungalow Fri 04-Jan-19 13:41:51

"Having a instant boiling hot tap in a kitchen where endless amounts of children are allowed to climb and sit on counter tops?"

And if one of the younger kids gets burned i would bet money on Chloe or one of the older girls getting blamed for not watching them properly Not watching those young kids they didnt choose to have.

DickTurpinsHat · 04/01/2019 19:06

I've read this thread and just watched the programme. Good god this family is nothing to be celebrated. I'm aghast at those condoning their behaviour. If she has another and her uterus ruptured and she dies would that be so wonderful?

Alteregoagain1965 · 04/01/2019 19:07

One thing I always worry about is the dogs!

Who walks them?

The spaniel lying down whilst the kitchen was being demolished looked so sad.

Collies are notoriously intelligent and sensitive. I couldn't think of a more inappropriate breed in that house.

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