Those with (or from) large families

[mt9178]

We are having our fifth and I love having a bigger family. The things I hate are due to other people...their comments, looks, etc.
I tell myself that their comments are due to their own issues. Maybe they cannot handle the two they have so they cannot imagine how we do things with four.
Sometimes things are crazy in the house but I can't think of what it would be like any other way.

[SamS_TTCPink]

I could have written the same post mt9178! 😉 I always say our house is full of organised chaos! 😊

[Abifasc]

I don't think you sounded negative either Abifasc, and wow your mum must be one amazing woman! I don't think I could do it on my own.

It must have been hard losing your dad but your mum has obviously raised an incredible woman in you. x

Thank you

[Rosie85]

Abi your mom does sound incredible!! So sorry to hear of your dad.

I always wished I had more siblings. I come from 3 so I have two brothers. I wish had 3 or 4 or more. I am extremely envious of those from large families.

[Abifasc]

My husband came from three too but he only gets along with his sister. I'm closer to my siblings closest to me but the younger ones are in a totally different stage of life! But it's fun that they can be aunts and uncles while they're young still. My boys looooove their fun uncles and aunts!

[Rosie85]

I am actually closest to my little brother. He is 8 years younger than me. My older brother and I are only 3 years a part but we are not close at all.

[Am3a]

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[Abifasc]

I will say, I do love it NOW. I'm close with my mom, and my sister and brother who are married. It's fun to think that we could easily birth over 30 grand kids for my mom between the 8 of us - most of my sibs want at least 5 kids.

[Adia]

I'm from 5 and I think it was (in my case) too many. I am number 3. We were poor-ish and I envied the families with 1 or 2 children who were able to have and do more things.

Hand-me-downs, a big clunker car, sharing bedrooms, shared Xmas presents, and not really having a say into anything... Just a few things I disliked! Also, I was embarrassed to say how many siblings I had, I had people chuckle and say things like "didn't you have a tv". Wow, I sound like a spoilt brat when I read that back!

On the flip side, I have a friend who is the eldest of 5 and she loved growing up in a big family. I particularly remember her saying to me 'her parents had a knack of making each child feel like an only child'. I love that, and now I strive to make my own kids feel this way instead of how I felt: just one of many.

You don't sound spoiled at all. My parents had the money & resources to care for 7 kids but it was more my mom who wanted kids to be popular in her religion. My dad never wanted kids but obviously didn't prevent it either.
My mom wasn't all that interested in being very involved with us once we were teenagers. While they had the money they made such stupid choices with loaning family money, helping out immigrants, etc that their wasn't enough to go around & my mom was bored with so many kids & the mundane parts of mothering that she want back to work. What I am trying to say is the choices we make as parents determine a great deal of how things work out way more than the number of kids we have.
DD1 said one day that she didn't like visiting her dad (my exDH) because her brothers were more special but at my house they all knew they were special by the time & energy we put into our kids.
I would venture to bet that all of us are pretty stellar moms regardless of how we were raised!

[Dreamsplanner]

My DH has 2 sisters & 3 brothers and he feels very blessed and the only reason he is giving in to have a third child, as he knows how wonderful it is to have many siblings.
I so enjoy going to their family gatherings, they are all unique and yet I can feel the love among them and I find them so lucky.

DH is the youngest and he is the closest to his elder sister and brother, I find their relationship very sweet especially with his older brother who is so protective of him.

I think it all depends on how you raise your little ones and when you teach them they all matter and to take on responsibilities, that is all what matters...

Big families are blessed I believe!