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Larger families

to think 3 or 4 children is not a large family.

21 replies

AmberSocks · 26/06/2013 12:58

JUst that really.Are there any really big families on larger families?

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Startail · 26/06/2013 13:15

3 no, 4 yes!

Larger car, larger than average house or sharing rooms. Almost certainly a significant age gap between oldest and youngest.

Three can be difficult for holidays, 4 totally stops using family rooms.

Four, I think, is where family dynamics change from the norm.

This is not necessarily a bad thing. Many DCs are very spoilt doing every extra curricular thing they want, having their own room, toys and no responsibility for chores or looking after siblings.

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Annunziata · 26/06/2013 13:18

I think 4 is big.

I saw a post from a lady with 12 once, and there are a few with 8 on the roll-call thread.

I will have 7 soon :)

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AmberSocks · 26/06/2013 13:19

Not really though,i have 4,we have a 4 bedroom house but you could make them share and live in a 3 bed house.Theres only 4 years between first and last,is that a big age gap?

We also use family rooms in hotels,but we do co sleep so i guess its down to preference!

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Bowlersarm · 26/06/2013 13:20

I would say 4 children is a large family.

Amongst our friends most have three, a lot have two, several have four, and we don't have any close friends with more than four. So in our circle,,I suppose four children constitute the larger families.

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Myliferocks · 26/06/2013 13:22

I have 5 and in rl where I live that is reasonably large but on here it's not that large at all.
When DC5 was born, DC1 was 9, DC2 just 4, DC3 2 and a half and DC4 was 13 months so it isn't always a case of a significant age gap.

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HormonalHousewife · 26/06/2013 13:24

Its all relative though isnt it, and depends on what we are used too ?

To those with none or 1 then 3 or 4 is large and 12 is unthinkable !

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gintastic · 26/06/2013 13:33

I have 3, and think that's normal. I would love a couple more, but space and finances dictate otherwise :-( at least I can get on with getting my body back and concentrating on my job a bit. Baby is 7mo and I'm back to work on 10th September.

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SantanaLopez · 26/06/2013 13:51

4 seems massive to me!

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Startail · 27/06/2013 00:40

No, 4 isn't a big gap there's 3 years between my two.

I think DCs do notice more if their mum is PG when they are at school and the gap is 5 plus years, which tends to happen more often in larger families.

Also, how without using, GPs/DH or friends do you do ballet/scouts/swimming/cricket all at the same time?

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MayTheOddsBeEverInYourFavour · 27/06/2013 00:43

I think four is quite a big family, I agree that three is not a big family though

I have six, sometimes it doesn't seem like many sometimes it seems like loads Grin

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NAR4 · 30/06/2013 18:50

I think however many you have seems normal. It only seems a lot I would imagine, when you have very small age gaps or multiples in the mix.

I have 5 but it really doesn't feel like a lot because there is an 11 year age gap between dc3 and dc4.

My husband and me do all our docs clubs between us with carefully planning. We don't have anyone to help us.

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Annunziata · 30/06/2013 21:48

Nar sometimes I look at all mine and get a shock! Grin

We just organised clubs around one another. I also found that they tended to want to do things that their older siblings already did, so that helped!

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Myliferocks · 30/06/2013 22:39

When I look at my DC I don't think there's 5 of them. To me they are Rod, Jane, Freddy, Bill and Ben. Iyswim.

( Obviously I haven't used their proper names )

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littlepeas · 01/07/2013 09:19

I think the threshold is between 3 and 4 - 3 is on the larger side of an average size family and 4 just edges into larger family territory. I have 3dc and would like a 4th, but that would be it!

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tankflybosswalkjamnittygritty · 01/07/2013 10:26

I have two and think 4 is a larger family.

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MUM2BLESS · 01/07/2013 19:07

I have four kids. I do not consider that to be large. One of seven myself, dad I believe was one of thirteen.

I would say six or more is large

I do not think my mum and dad spent as much on us as we do on our four. The school seem to have so many trips. My daughter year is having a trip next year which cost approx 1,700 plus.

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GeekInThePink · 08/07/2013 10:24

Where I live 3 is large!
One of 2 families in our quite big village who have 3

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TwoAndTwoEqualsChaos · 08/07/2013 15:43

Four seems normal to me: I grew up with three living siblings and a brother I never knew who died as a baby. Similarly, I have four and they know about my eldest, a FT SB. We live in a very diverse City and so know most sorts of family combination and familes from one pampered child to long Catholic or Asian ones ....

All the families of 6+ I know are either all girl or mixed, no all boy. Not sure what that says.

The father of an older man on our road was, apparently, one of 19 from one woman, but that was rural Ireland at the turn of the last century (and I have no idea of the mortality rate).

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MultipleMama · 09/07/2013 13:30

I'll have 6 in December. All 5 and under. I think 4 is large but then I wouldn't call 3 small. I think 3 & 4 are a medium family!

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ZingWidge · 10/07/2013 12:53

to me a large family is at least 4 kids, but probably 4+

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AlphaBetaOoda · 10/07/2013 13:18

I've 4. Think we are big but not large IYSWIM!

I've 13.4 years between my eldest & youngest so feels big when we are all out but often leave 1/2 at home. We certainly couldn't all share one room on holiday though.

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