Do you have a large family?

[Dustybug]

We are currently expecting #4. We've gotten comments with just the 3 and we do have some unsupportive family members, but I don't care. I've always said that I wanted 4-5 children since *I* was a child. My transition from 1 to 2 was H.A.R.D. 2 to 3 was a breeze. I'm hoping 3 to 4 is as well. :) I still don't consider us large, but it seems others do.

[AFwife Claire]

We are expecting #9 in March. I can not ever imagine not having a baby in the house. It's such a depressing thought. They bring so much joy (and work, but the feeling of snuggling a baby all day washes over all the work).

 

Now, with that being said, I often look fondly back to when I only had 2 and 3 kids. Life was so much simpler back then. Not sure if it was the fact that we didnt have school and activities or because 2-3 was easier to handle. But, I hold on to those memories and know things will never be so calm again!

 

Yes some family members do not agree with us having lots o kids. But I think they have realized they will not change our minds and have decided to enjoy our children. Of course we still get the comments of being like rabbits, but whatever.

 

 

 

Wow, I could have written this, except that we just had #9 in November! I did not really feel like a big family until maybe #7, because, as others have said, that's when we had to get a 12 passenger van (we also have an 8 seat Sienna). I love our babies too, and it is also really hard for me to think about not having more. I just had my 6 week post-partum appointment today, and the doctor was asking if I thought we'd have any more. I don't know! For the first time, I am feeling like I would be okay being done.

 

The hard part for me of having lots of kids is doing the high school thing at the same time as the nursing baby thing. I'm teaching an honors biology class for our small homeschool co-op (we're prepping for the AP test, but I didn't bother getting my syllabus approved). Prep for that class takes a TON of time--and I'm still teaching kids to read and working around a nursing infant! And as the kids get older, there are necessarily more outside activities to get them too, ones that can't just be skipped. My oldest wants to go to the Air Force Academy like his dad and grandpa, so there have to be sports, leadership activities, volunteer stuff, etc. . . . and so on for a lot of other kids too!

 

I sometimes miss the days of only have 3-4, when we could skip a day of school with no regrets, and we just didn't have as much going on outside the house! Of course, now I LOVE having older kids who can stay at home with everyone so I can run errands, and with whom I can have great conversations. And I think I enjoy my babies more now when I have so much other help, and I'm just not so NEEDED all the time by some many little people. Now there are others who can help put on shoes and make lunches. It's so nice!

 

I never in a million years thought I would end up with so many kids. It just sort of happened, and sometimes I look around the table and think, "How did I end up so blessed, when I didn't even know this is what I wanted?!"

[AndrewsDK]

I agree with Panda - Large starts at 5, and Mega starts around 10.

 

We currently have 4 kids, but have had 7 (we do foster care). I'm pretty comfortable in the 5-6 kid range.

We live in a more rural area and it is very very common for families to have 4 or more kids (even when accounting for the large mormon population). When we lived in-city Seattle though, you got strange looks with any more than 2 kids.

 

I have a friend who is in China right now bringing home her 29th & 30th children (22 total adoptions, 14 kids still at home, most special needs) and is in process for #31. Now that is a Mega family!

[Kaleidoscope]

We have 5, doesn't seem large to me till all of them are having off days. We have always gotten lots of looks and comments though. But I think that has more to do with being a biracial family and the fact the 5 kids are very close in age.

[Lisbeth]

We are Mormons with 4 kids. To Mormons, that is not a large family. To wider society, it kind of is, judging bythe comments I get. :thumbup:

 

I wanted 6 but didn't get around to having them until I was almost 30. So 4 it is.

[JFSinIL]

Depends. We have four. To many folks that is large - but hubby was one of six in his family. Still, we have more then his sibs (2, 2, and 3) so we win ;-)

My sister has 2, my brother 3 - so we win there, too.

[Soror]

We have 4 here, which is more than the vast, vast majority of people we know. For me I'm feeling very crispy, but not quite burnt yet. Having #1 was soul-crushing, going from 1-2 and 2-3 was super easy. However, going from 3-4 has been a challenge. I was a bit arrogant as adding the others was so easy. I feel the looks when out and the comments and I just am not feeling like I have it near as together as I did before. A little time to myself would be heavenly these days.

[Quiver0f10]

We have 10.

[lea_lpz]

I only have 2, but tend to see 3-4 as more than average but not a huge family, 5-8 as large, and 9+ mega.

[Excelsior! Academy]

We have 9. It doesn't feel like a lot until we are out and about.

[acsnmama]

I heard once that if you eat a lot of yams when TTC, it highers the chances of twins (yeah, likely another old wives tale) but I do want 5. Maybe I should be questioning that?

 

I agree, when my current 3 are having "off" days, I get so overwhelmed, but when they are behaving and getting along (which is most of the time) I think they are just so joyous. I have to say, my children are very well behaved most of the time, DH and figure we're probably extremely strict or something? They have their moments, but they aren't wild, so it makes the idea of 5 feel much more simple. I'm not sure if he's on board for the idea of 5, he thinks 4 is good, but I joked with him that I better get a move on, as I wanted to be done having children by the time I was 30! I'm 27 now, so it would be cool to knock out another 2 in the next 3 years, LOL. No, I won't rush it, but I like the distance between each of my children (approx 2.5 years). I'm due to be pregnant NOW, but DH wants to wait a little longer, bummer.

 

Whatever is in God's plan. I always said I would never homeschool, now I don't ever plan to send my kids to school. I said I wanted 3 children, and here I am planning on 5.

 

I haven't gotten any "big family" comments, but in public people say, "you have your hands full!" not to mention, when DH and I were out alone, a women asked us if we were newlyweds, she thought we were early 20's and just got married, she was surprised when she found out we had 3 children. I guess people will have plenty of things to say when I'm toting around 5, LOL. I think as long as we can take comments lightly and laugh them off, we will find entertainment in it, rather than discouragement!

 

God has changed my heart on so many levels. While I don't feel that more than 5 is right for our family, I think 5 sounds good to me!

[Renee in NC]

I have 7, and in my current circles that is HUGE! Astoundingly huge. It was funny at Halloween when the youngest 5 came to my work for the party. People would count, and then they would look at me in shock. Then I would tell them about the two older ones. :laugh: