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Large Familes~ What are your favorite remarks?

mom2agang
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mom2agang

mom2agang

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You know, when your out and about and somebody says " Are they all yours?". I think I almost heard them all until the other day when I was stunned by a lady. She asked if I was a daycare and I nicely said no their all mine. She then preceeded to ask how many and I explained we have 10 and I'm due for # 11 in feb. Then she says "Wow that's a lot of people for this planet, what does your husband think of all this? Does he mind?" I'm like WHAT?????? Just when I thought I heard them all!

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IsabelC

IsabelC

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Um, WHAT?! Does your husband mind? Like he had nothing to do with it?

Some people you have to laugh at, otherwise it would be too tempting to assault them. Or reply something like "What a lot of ignorance and rudeness for this planet. Does your husband mind you insulting random people you meet?"

Edited by Hotdrink
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jld

jld

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The kids' dentist here in India asked me last week if it was legal in my country to have so many children (we have 5). I told him it was, and it's legal in his country, too, even if discouraged by the gov't or society. And I sent dd with her brother to his appt. yesterday.;)

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Quad Shot Academy

Quad Shot Academy

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I got a funny one yesterday! Our track team has about 400 kids, but only about 50 of them come to meets. We went to a meet yesterday and were walking up with another family of four and one of the coaches said, "Oh wow a lot of our team did show up today!" :lol:

 

I do get the offensive remarks too, but I enjoy the very confused or surprised remarks a bit! :tongue_smilie:

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Barry Goldwater

Barry Goldwater

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You know, when your out and about and somebody says " Are they all yours?". I think I almost heard them all until the other day when I was stunned by a lady. She asked if I was a daycare and I nicely said no their all mine. She then preceeded to ask how many and I explained we have 10 and I'm due for # 11 in feb. Then she says "Wow that's a lot of people for this planet, what does your husband think of all this? Does he mind?" I'm like WHAT?????? Just when I thought I heard them all!

 

We have just 4, but I've gotten similar 'overpopulation' argument (which is a farce, BTW...Over Pop. is not a problem at all, but that's another thread).

 

I suggest this answer, which I've used to shut down the worse of the boors...

 

'Yes, we're doing our biblical duty to out-breed the heathens!'

 

Blessings and HONOR to you and your full quiver!!

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Kimberly in IN

Kimberly in IN

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We have 4, not what I would refer to as a large family in any manner, just the right size for us. We have recently moved to another part of the country and apparently 4 is not as common here. Dc and I have heard the "4 kids and then ridiculous/stupid comments galore" in the past few weeks. Dd, 11, has asked me to respond w/ "3 is for quitters." Maybe she got that from a movie/tv, book!?! Anyway, as a parent who has adopted, I have learned, up here at least, not to ask in a joking manner which ones should we not have had b/c people actually have answered, in front of the dc. ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh And they didn't seem to be joking.

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juelle

juelle

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May God bless you and your family as you expect #11!

 

A dad with whom we spend lots of time at baseball games (dss on same team) actually said to me last week, 'You mean you still let your husband touch you?'

When I was pregnant with #7 I got several remarks like that, all from men we know fairly well and who were not being flippant or offensive, all spoken with some pain.

 

Still not sure how to answer...except, 'Well, obviously!':001_smile:

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mommaduck

mommaduck

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An awful one was when we've had car salesmen slap hubby on the back, wink, and say, "Lucky Man! Wish I was in your shoes!" (and they aren't referring to the child, but what causes the children...ewww, and they do that right in front of me. For some reason they presume the more children means more TEA...uhm, my husband will tell you it's the opposite LOL!)

 

People ask us what causes it:

Hubby: well, we tried getting our own toothbrushes, but it still happened

Me: yes, and we enjoy it very much ;) (I think I borrowed that from somewhere here)

 

The worst I ever got was while I was grocery shopping (four with me and pregnant with #5) and this elderly German woman stood in front of me with this awful look. Looked back and forth from me to the kids to my belly like she was adding it all in her head and then spits out, "Oh. My. GAWDDD!" Then she turned on her heal and stomped off. Just like that. THAT was despicable.

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Guest Alte Veste Academy

Guest Alte Veste Academy

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Only four here but the comment that raises my hackles is how disappointed I must be that I have no girls...as if I kept having babies just to have a daughter. Oh yes, this is usually said in front of my boys!

 

Bizarrely, you get these same idiots even if you have a mix. When I was hugely pregnant with ds3, someone stopped us outside a store and said, "What? You have a boy and a girl and you're STILL having another one?" Apparently, I had satisfied "the quota" and should have no more. I was dumbfounded. I replied, "Well, I like them. You know? AS PEOPLE!"

 

"3 is for quitters."

 

I always say we stopped having kids right when it was getting easy and we knew what we were doing. I'm certain we would have had a 4th if not for a heinous, poorly timed 15 month deployment. :glare:

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unsinkable

unsinkable

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Bizarrely, you get these same idiots even if you have a mix. When I was hugely pregnant with ds3, someone stopped us outside a store and said, "What? You have a boy and a girl and you're STILL having another one?" Apparently, I had satisfied "the quota" and should have no more. I was dumbfounded. I replied, "Well, I like them. You know? AS PEOPLE!"

QUOTE]

 

We have girl, boy, boy, too!

 

When people asked why we were having a third I'd say we were trying for a hermaphrodite. :lol:

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unsinkable

unsinkable

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We have 4, not what I would refer to as a large family in any manner, just the right size for us. We have recently moved to another part of the country and apparently 4 is not as common here. Dc and I have heard the "4 kids and then ridiculous/stupid comments galore" in the past few weeks. Dd, 11, has asked me to respond w/ "3 is for quitters." Maybe she got that from a movie/tv, book!?! Anyway, as a parent who has adopted, I have learned, up here at least, not to ask in a joking manner which ones should we not have had b/c people actually have answered, in front of the dc. ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh And they didn't seem to be joking.

 

I understand the humor...

 

But I was never able to have another after my third. :(

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Carrie12345

Carrie12345

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For some reason they presume the more children means more TEA...uhm, my husband will tell you it's the opposite LOL!)

 

 

 

Yup!

I'm cooking #5 (4 by dh). I've been pregnant 7 times (6 by dh)... not that everyone knows that. I get the not-so-subtle TEA comments all the time. Really?!? I've been married for nearly 10 years now. If my kids are evidence of what qualifies as a lot of sex, there must be a sad number of Anniversary TEA Only couples out there. :tongue_smilie:

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Saille

Saille

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I suggest this answer, which I've used to shut down the worse of the boors...

 

'Yes, we're doing our biblical duty to out-breed the heathens!'

 

Blessings and HONOR to you and your full quiver!!

 

Ack! As one of said heathens, much as I love y'all, that still sort of freaks me out. Although, if you haven't seen Idiocracy, it's one to watch. What do you think of Classical Ed. as an argument for large families?

 

We watched the 1950 version of Cheaper By The Dozen yesterday, and I was thinking of some of our WTM mamas even before I saw this thread, b/c the dad had some great comebacks:

 

There's the "cheaper by the dozen" comment, of course. Then...

 

Mailman: All these kids yours?

Dad: Oh, these aren't so many. You should see the ones we left behind.

 

Dad: Lilly, how many head of children have we now, would you say offhand?

Mom: Well, the last time I counted them, dear, there seemed to be an even dozen.

Guest: A dozen?!

Mom: I may have missed one or two, but not many!

Dad: I'd say twelve was a pretty fair guess.

 

And my favorite...

 

Bystander: Who are you, Noah?

Dad: Yes, and this is my ark. All we need is a jack*ss. Hop in!"

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mommaduck

mommaduck

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And my favorite...

 

Bystander: Who are you, Noah?

Dad: Yes, and this is my ark. All we need is a jack*ss. Hop in!"

:lol::lol::lol: Oh dude! I so wish I could have used that on the car salesman!

 

 

Susana Wesley's father was known to have been down at the pub after her birth. He was asked how many this made and his reply was, "she's either the last of two dozen or a quarter of a hundred"

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stripe

stripe

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"What? You have a boy and a girl and you're STILL having another one?" Apparently, I had satisfied "the quota" and should have no more.

 

Yes, I've also been told I have the perfect family, by several people. Translation, I suppose, is that more would spoil it. Of course, my husband was also advised (by a man) after the first, that we should use fertility treatments simply to guarantee a child of the other sex. No thanks. People talk too much.

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SilverMoon

SilverMoon

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The oddest one we've gotten was at a grocery store. I only had 3 kids and a pregnant belly at the time. The baby was in the basket seat, and the other two were staying nearby. They were being bouncy kids but not obnoxious or loud. An older lady ran up, put her hand on my arm, and declared, "You have too many kids!" She caught me off guard and I just waited for the punchline, assuming she must be joking. She wasn't joking. Apparently I should have put one back on aisle 3. :001_huh:

 

Ack! As one of said heathens, much as I love y'all, that still sort of freaks me out. Although, if you haven't seen Idiocracy, it's one to watch. What do you think of Classical Ed. as an argument for large families?
I flip those comments back on the questioner's lack of manners. "Well *someone* has to outnumber the rude people." - said with a smile and a shrug, as I push my cart past them.

 

We've mortified more than a few people who wanted to know if we knew what caused that. Our answer is usually a great big grin with a, "Yes ma'am/sir. It's a lot of fun too!"

 

For the really obnoxious people I just answer, "That was rude," and keep moving. :tongue_smilie:

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Murphy101

Murphy101

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We only have 4, but I get "Haven't you two figured out what causes this yet?" :glare:

 

We once were asked if we hadn't heard of the pill and

 

Dh leaned over with a huge smile and rubbed my prego belly and said Viagra is great!

 

 

Only four here but the comment that raises my hackles is how disappointed I must be that I have no girls...as if I kept having babies just to have a daughter. Oh yes, this is usually said in front of my boys!

 

I had four boys before I got a girl.

Then we told people she needed a sister.

Now we say we are shooting to even the numbers of girls to boys.

 

 

May God bless you and your family as you expect #11!

 

A dad with whom we spend lots of time at baseball games (dss on same team) actually said to me last week, 'You mean you still let your husband touch you?'

When I was pregnant with #7 I got several remarks like that, all from men we know fairly well and who were not being flippant or offensive, all spoken with some pain.

 

Still not sure how to answer...except, 'Well, obviously!':001_smile:

 

 

 

It's really fascinating to me that bc is supposed to equal more and freer sex, but it doesn't seem to.

 

Sadly many couples do not have a happy sex life and they blame it on their kids. So from that perspective, it stands to reason that men think you are unique. I don't think they are being it to be tacky on purpose. More likely they are envious. My dh has had more than one man approach him about how we umm makes things happen with more than 2 kids.

 

Yup!

I'm cooking #5 (4 by dh). I've been pregnant 7 times (6 by dh)... not that everyone knows that. I get the not-so-subtle TEA comments all the time. Really?!? I've been married for nearly 10 years now. If my kids are evidence of what qualifies as a lot of sex, there must be a sad number of Anniversary TEA Only couples out there. :tongue_smilie:

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Hannah C.

Hannah C.

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I am not the mother of a big family, but I am the oldest child in a big family.

 

When I was 12 years old and told an adult how many of us there were (and it was several fewer than now), she said "Don't they know what causes that?" :glare:

 

I've also had many, many well-meaning people in more recent years ask me if my parents are done having kids. I *hate* being asked this. I don't understand why people think that the oldest child is privy to the family planning of her parents!!! My response is usually along the lines of a cheerful "I don't know and I don't want to know!"

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Pink Fairy

Pink Fairy

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When I was expecting number four my auto mechanic asked the always funny don't-you-know-what-causes-that-ha-ha-ha question. So cute! And he turned the prettiest shade of pink when I said, "Oh yeah, great sex and lots of it!" Not my classiest moment, I know, but sadly he's the only person who ever asked--and I've been dying to use that line again ever since. :lol: The look on his face was priceless!

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yellowperch

yellowperch

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Posted

Love some of these, especially the jack@$$. Wish I were that quick on my feet.

 

I have 5, which is a lot in these parts. I've heard nothing but great comments. Older people from larger families always say nice things. I've also had several friends and women I only know a little tell me how they wish they had more (but couldn't because of an unwilling DH, finances, health, etc).

 

Both my sister and sil have had terrible times trying to get and stay pregnant. It is has been deeply painful and sad for both of them. And my mother lost a child who was 13. So I mainly feel grateful, and try to be gracious when people comment. I used to say "better full than empty" but I stopped saying that after my sister lost a baby at 5 months.

 

I don't mean to be a downer, and I love the funny, witty comments issued to the truly crude and/or jerky (which is what this post is about), but I felt compelled to add this.

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JennifersLost

JennifersLost

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This is one reason I've loved moving to rural British Columbia. My four kids aren't strange at all. BAck in California I got comments all the time.

 

Heck, up here I get PAID by the government because I have kids. They'd like it if I'd have more, I guess.

 

My kids wish I'd had more. It's too late now - there'd be too big of a gap. I tell them that in a few years it'll be their turn. If they all have four, we'll have a tribe!

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AFwife Claire

AFwife Claire

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We also usually get kind, supportive remarks, especially from older people (and especially in the commissary--lots of sweet retirees from big families in there!).

 

But one time we were in Walmart checking out. I think I only had 6 then, and as I was putting my stuff on the belt, the cashier casually asks, "Do you make a lot of money doing that?"

 

I was really caught off guard--make money doing what? Shopping at Walmart?!--So I asked what she meant.

 

She sort of shrugged her head over at the kids and said, "Daycare." I've had people ask me if I ran a daycare before, but no one has ever just assumed! LOL!

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Katiebug_1976

Katiebug_1976

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We only have 4, but I get "Haven't you two figured out what causes this yet?" :glare:

 

 

Dh & I have gotten so tired of hearing this one that we have started responding like this. "Not yet, but I think we are narrowing it down. Do you know what it could be?" I think it's hilarious to see how people react. Keeping a straight face through it all is what's hard.

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jubulibee

jubulibee

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Dh & I have gotten so tired of hearing this one that we have started responding like this. "Not yet, but I think we are narrowing it down. Do you know what it could be?" I think it's hilarious to see how people react. Keeping a straight face through it all is what's hard.

 

:smilielol5::smilielol5::smilielol5: I bet you have fun with that one!

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AHASRADA

AHASRADA

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When I was pregnant with #3, the cashier at Wal-Mart asked me why I was ruining my "perfect family" (I assume she meant one boy, one girl, boy born first, of course).

 

I would certainly never dream of actually saying that to anyone, but not that long ago, I would have had the same thought. I was blessed with one boy, one girl, the perfect family, and I was done. Why would I want any more? My poor SILs have 3, one has 3 girls, the other 3 boys, and I know they both wish they could have had at least one of the other gender, but 3 was "pushing it" (and I know my MIL, who incidentally had 5 kids of her own, thought they were both nuts for having a 3rd).

 

Well now, after years of bliss with a "perfect family", it has hit me that my kids are getting big, will soon be gone, and suddenly our family starts to seem small. A young family with 2 little ones seems normal and perfect, but an older couple with "only" two grown kids, or an adult with "only" one sibling, just seems sad. So, we're now embarking on the next phase of our parenting with a 3rd child...

 

While 2 kids may seem like the perfect family when they are little and you want to avoid buying a mini-van, only reserve one hotel room, and the numerous other things that are easier to do as a family of 4, it's not necessarily so perfect down the road, when parents grow old or pass on, and a child is left with only one sibling on the other side of the country.

 

Bravo to all of you slogging through the daily chaos to raise a brood who will, God willing, provide a loving and stable extended family relationship to each other throughout their lives.

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dm379

dm379

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I used to get the "now you can stop now that you have your boy" comments all the time. Now I get the "perfect family, one boy and one girl" comments. I hate it, especially when I'm with someone that knows I used to have three because it's really uncomfortable since I never know how to respond.

 

My grandpa once asked me if we knew what caused that yet and then went on to tell me that's why him and Grandma didn't do that. I think I was traumatized for life over that one. :lol: But I know he was thrilled over more grandkids.

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