Any large families out there...

[MommyRyan]

get comments about overpopulating Earth? LOL. Awaiting my eighth, and so far I've gotten more questions about responsibility and sustainability than congratulations. How do you guys respond?

[Philothea]

I'd tell them we're "outbreeding people like you for a better tomorrow."

Edited September 22, 2009 by Philothea

[Marie in Oh]

when I was pregnant with only my 5th. I had the 4 at the natural food co-op in the very liberal Northen CA college town where my dh was getting his PhD. The checker asked me if I realized that there was an over population problem and that large families were hard on the environment. :001_huh: I don't know what to say as far as a response except that I think it is incredibly rude.

[cathmom]

I have never gotten a comment like this, but I hope I would have the presence of mind to explain that the entire population of the world could fit into the state of Texas with about 1000 square feet per person, leaving the entire rest of the world empty.

[Garga]

That's horrid! I only have two (and only want two), so it's not like I'm in your shoes, but I think it's horrible that people would think such a way about big families, much less entertain the though long enough to say it out loud!! What oafs.

 

This is a question for Miss Manners. She always comes up with comebacks that make the other person look like the oaf they are, without sinking to their level.

[patchfire]

I have gotten those comments, and I have just three. The people who have said something know I'm an only child, and have said something specifically to me about three being "okay," since my parents only had one. Presumably, I would be the height of irresponsibility if my parents had had two children. Also, if I have another one, I will be single-handedly responsible for the downfall of the earth, and it will be because I am selfish and have bought into our "me-first" society.

[BMW]

Yep... many times.

 

I was once asked if we were trying to increase the electoral votes of our state!!

 

I also countered the comment with the information about the entire population being able to live in Texas... but people did NOT believe me...

[MamaT]

We stopped at a roadside stand to buy honey once while on vacation. The lady selling it felt it was her responsibility to tell me how horrible it was that I had six children, did I know about over-population, etc.

 

We just smiled, bought our honey, and ignored her. I thought it was incredibly rude though, especially since she said those things in front of my kids.

[cathmom]

How about, "Yes, I think the world is entirely too populated!" accompanied by a speaking glance in the person's direction?

[athena1277]

I only have 2, but I have friends with many kids. It makes me glad to see them with all those kids because they are doing so well raising them. I figure that it puts that many more decent, kind, moral people on this earth to counter those who are not.

[Natalieclare]

*If* I feel like engaging, which is not very often, I might point out that many large families use less resources than certain individuals. Out of financial necessity (and moral principle) we want our kids to learn to abstain from greediness and wastefulness.

[johnandtinagilbert]

I immediately ask them how their food garden in their yard is growing. I follow with, what kind of car do you drive? (often SUV) or ask if they recycle. I tell them we grow our own food, use cloth diapers, offer hand me downs, and recycle like crazy...do they? Usually not...look whose more responsible now :)

 

I know my replies won't change a thing and that a person THAT ignorant isn't worth the time, I just enjoy (evil grin) pointing out their load a crap!

 

I would also, if I found their tone negative enough, ask them why they don't live in China then, where their ideals on population control are carried out daily....don't try this mama bear!

[KidsHappen]

I ask them who they expect to pay their ss. Of course, I personally don't think ss will still be around when I am eligible but almost everyone who starts in with the overpopulation spew seems to think it will be.

[teragram]

First of all, CONGRATULATIONS on your expectant baby!

 

It is sooo rude that people actually say that out loud... and to your face! And they expect a reasonable response? I don't get it. I love seeing big families - especially homeschooling, big families.

 

I now have four children. While I was pregnant and for the first year, I've gotten numerous questions about if I was planning to have more???? I CHOOSE to take this as an innocent question (most of the time) but really, I think that's nobody elses business and quite rude to ask.

 

I try to make a point of encouraging and expressing delight when I meet up with a family with many children because most big families probably don't hear much praise about thier status now days.

[TXMomof4]

I have never gotten a comment like this, but I hope I would have the presence of mind to explain that the entire population of the world could fit into the state of Texas with about 1000 square feet per person, leaving the entire rest of the world empty.

 

 

Alright, y'all quit trying to send people to TX! Maybe only families with more than 5 kids can come. :tongue_smilie:

[HRAAB]

I have five children and have never had a comment like that. I'm pretty sure I know a couple people that think that (family), but they would never say it to my face. However, my friend had a person ask her how many children she had. She answered four. She then asked him how many he had. He replied that he couldn't have any because of people like her who had too many. Geez.

 

Janet

[Impish]

I 'only' have four kids, three at home. I'm hoping for a fifth. I'd love to have another, but dh says no...so, we're leaving it to God, and not taking any surgical steps. I'd also love to adopt, but am unlikely to be approved, due to chronic pain issues (RSD).

 

If it were completely up to me, I'd have us on our way to being the Duggars...via adoption. Assuming I had the initial house in the country big enough to add on to as needed, and the finances as well :lol:

 

As to the OP, I've had comments, but more to do with my disability and handling them and homeschooling...and that the younger 2 are so close together, how can I possibly manage?

 

Ack. My standard line is, "Uh, what else would you like me to do, other than manage? Donate them for science experiments?" (Yes, its from Monty Python, lol!)

[Mommyfaithe]

I ask them who they expect to pay their ss. Of course, I personally don't think ss will still be around when I am eligible but almost everyone who starts in with the overpopulation spew seems to think it will be.

 

:iagree: MY POINT...I TELL PEOPLE THEY ARE MY RETIREMENT PLAN...

 

oops...caps lock...didn't mean to yell....

[Storm Bay]

We only have 3, and don't get any comments. However, I hadn't known that bit about Texas, and am glad to have it, because I find myself defending the right to have many dc rather often. Are there any helpful links to good info like this?

[mommaduck]

I love to point out that our large family uses less and wastes less than most families with 1-3 children.

[Tenaj]

I hadn't remembered this story for years, but I used to prepare tax returns and I had one gentleman (in his sixties) sit at my kitchen table while we were going over his taxes and start talking about over-population. It was the strangest conversation . . .punctuated by my four children who were all running about us! He was just going on and on, and assuming I was agreeing with everything he said. He never stopped to take a breath. When he finally paused, I made some totally lame comment that he might want to discuss this with someone else, since I obviously wasn't following his guidelines. . . his reponse was "oh, I wasn't thinking of you and your family, you're different". Uh, huh . . . never had to see him again because I "retired" from the tax business.

 

It cracks me up what some people think it's their business to comment upon.

[Amber in SJ]

I have had this conversation with several members of dh's extended family, and I only have 4 children. I generally say;

 

"I am not trying to overpopulate the planet, I am trying to outnumber the idiots. Don't make me have one for you!"

 

This works well.

 

Amber in SJ

[cathmom]

I have had this conversation with several members of dh's extended family, and I only have 4 children. I generally say;

 

"I am not trying to overpopulate the planet, I am trying to outnumber the idiots. Don't make me have one for you!"

 

This works well.

 

Amber in SJ

 

:lol:

[petepie2]

I have had this conversation with several members of dh's extended family, and I only have 4 children. I generally say;

 

"I am not trying to overpopulate the planet, I am trying to outnumber the idiots. Don't make me have one for you!"

 

This works well.

 

Amber in SJ

 

Love it!!

 

My first thought was "Aren't you increasing your carbon footprint with all this hot air you're blowing at me?" .....but i'm gonna file away the "outnumber the idiots" line for future use...:D

[....]

I've gotten this too... :confused:

 

I also had my family tell me that it was such a shame that I was going to have kids because I was so intelligent and had so much potential. What the &^%* does that mean?

 

I'm the only person in my family NOT on some kind of anti-depressant. And I'm the weirdo??

[yellowperch]

I'm borrowing the outnumbering the idiots comment should I ever need it.

 

I've been responding to various comments lately with, "If you had children as wonderful as mine you'd have a batch, too!"

[mommaduck]

The worst three comments I have ever received:

 

Hubby's grandmother on the phone while I was in labour with our stillborn (knowing the babe was no longer alive), "Gd knows how many you can afford" (I had the nurses ban her calls after that).

 

My stepfather's mother swore I would die if I had more than four children, because HER insides fell out after her 5th pregnancy (literally). She also worried up and down that all these children would cause me to lose my mind "like that Yates woman" :glare:

 

An elderly lady at the grocery when I was pregnant with ONLY #4....blocked my children and I from leaving the store, looked us up and down with a nasty look on her face, and then said, "oh. my. gaaawwwwdd!!!" Yeah, nice! Right in front of my, thankfully clueless, children! :mad: I guess we were being bad "breeders"

[BikeBookBread]

We only have two (for a number of reasons...we got married later in life, we move so often, I've had miscarriages, I'm oooooolllllddddd, etc.) but we have quite a few friends with larger families than ours.

 

Hands down, their children are the most thoughtful, selfless, kind, wonderful kids you will ever meet. I would "go mama bear" (quoting someone back down the thread) in your stead if anyone said anything so AWFUL to you as what I've read in this thread. What amazing guts and ugliness!!!!!

 

There are times I wish we had more children, because we are dealing with some of the issues that come with SMALLER families: selfishness, me-centrism, etc... I'm an only child. It took being married for quite a few years to thrash it out of me!

[kdurfee]

When asked how many children she has, my girlfriend answers in a super sincere and sweet voice - Oh, I "ONLY" have 8. It puts the person off every time. And later gives them another perspective to think about.

[KingM]

I also countered the comment with the information about the entire population being able to live in Texas... but people did NOT believe me...

 

Well, this is true, but I wouldn't want to live on that hypothetical 250,000 square mile stretch of land. And you'd still need sufficient farmland to feed all those people. There is a carrying capacity of the earth. What that is, I don't know. Obviously, everybody couldn't have eight children for very long, or we'd be in trouble. Or even four children, like we have.

 

I tend to think that most of our overpopulation problems would be resolved by given women greater education in many countries around the world as birth rates tend to fall when this happens. This would give room for people who want families and those who don't, but would slow down the rapid population growth of the planet.

 

ETA: We also get some of the large family comments even though we only have four, because we live in a part of the country where two or maybe three is the norm and plenty of people are childless. When friends of mine (often without kids of their own) comment about the large size of my family, I sometimes say something like, "Hey, with all my smart, educated friends choosing voluntary extinction, I sometimes wonder who my kids will be friends with when they grow up."

Edited October 5, 2009 by KingM

[Murphy101]

I thought the idiot comment was hilarious!

 

I tend to say the chipper "I only have 9 so far!"

 

If that does not put them off then I remind them that if I had 9 of anything else and wanted more of anything else - they'd probably think mr smart and well-off. Really 9 houses, 9 thousand dollars, 9 cars, 9 computers. ..... Yet children are supposed to be our greatest joy and blessing and yet most would limit that more than any other thing that gives them nothing in return.

 

I just happen to think any one of my dc are worth having more than that other stuff. And if I feel that way - why wouldn't I love having each of them and even more?

 

Of Course dh and I are weird anyways bc we don't feel this way for religious reasons. Even before I became religious we felt that way. And dh isn't religious and still feels that way.

[mommaduck]

"Keep complaining and I'll have 3 more just to spite you" ;)

[MusicMama]

As the oldest of 11, I heard a lot of derogatory comments. But when your kids hear those comments, they'll probably feel sorry for the ignorant fool, and then plot revenge as only 11 sibs can...j/k :001_smile:

I have two 2 and under, and ALREADY get comments! I try to always respond positively, because some people haven't heard or seen another worldview than their own. A simple "We're so thankful for the children we have" stuns people because they can't stand their own kids, or never have heard of a fulfilled mother. You could introduce them to a world where big, loving families create hard-working, smart, and loving citizens! Though the sarcastic comments would feel so nice...btw I LOVE the "outnumbering the idiots" reply. Love it!

[iquilt]

Believe it or not I heard that rude comment several times when expecting my third! I mean, really....

[smrtmama]

get comments about overpopulating Earth? LOL. Awaiting my eighth, and so far I've gotten more questions about responsibility and sustainability than congratulations. How do you guys respond?

 

Heck, I get it and I only have three (considering a 4th, though).

[joannqn]

"This one, number 8, wants to grow up to be a cancer researcher. Maybe he'll come up with the cure that will save your grandchild's life one day. If that were the case, would you be glad I had so many kids? We believe every child is a blessing and has the potential to grow up and do great things, not just the first or second one."