What do you think to this comment on more than four children Families?

[SuziSeis]

I am wee bit miffed!

don't think it paints an even faintly realistic picture!

[KingCanuteIAm]

So it is only possible to have 4 (or more) if you have a highly successful husband to upport you and a nanny to give you a break each morning? Either that or you will end up a deppressed and miserable haridan. The only reason to have 4 is to show how clever/fertile/rich you are?

Ahh well, I never did fit into any of the usual stereotypes

To answer your question, no it doesn't paint a picture of anything other than a penchant for sensationalisation (is that a word?)

[SuziSeis]

it insinuates we flaunt our good marriage etc

i have no nanny etc and drive a vw transporter!!

[Pria]

Really? I am mum of four two older two younger and can really agree with the points raised, what do you disagree with?

[SuziSeis]

all of it!

Why does one have to be proving anything?

[KingCanuteIAm]

Pria, so are you one that has a madly succesful darling husband and a footballers wife house with assorted staff or one who is going insane with the motonany and about to do yourself in? Oh and your husband? Does he view the children as expressions of his virility or his wealth?

Crap artical. There may have been some good points in it but they all got washed away in a sea of blatently trying to prove the author right at all costs!

[Madmentalbint]

I loved this article....it really made me chuckle.

Obviously some of it is nonsense, but some good points are raised, I thought. I particularly identified with the difficulties of trying to cater for children across different age ranges. For a while it was really hard to organise an activity they could all enjoy together as their needs were so different.

I've never thought of my family as a status symbol, and I've never hired a nanny or an au pair. I have enjoyed a certain kudos as the mum of four, but then I've also experienced people feeling sorry for me and my life of drudgery (in their eyes, not mine).

We didn't set out to have four, that's just the way it worked out, but I wouldn't change it for anything....except maybe having five!

[psychomum5]

ahhhh......they based the entire article on me, how easy I find my five, the alpha-male is a perfect description of my DH.....the staff......the house.......



god almighty pass me a wood burner, I need to burn this crap!!!

how the hell they equate four with being a status symbol and only the provinces of the rich is beyond me, especially.......

""Having four children means that you need a house the size of Texas; it means a convoy on the school run; an army of highly trained staff; multiple school fees. It?s the Darwinian expression of a person?s physical, mental and social superiority.""

really??? do the mums of four in the city only manage because of the above statement??

pah, in that case, they are light-weight.

I manage five, I do not have to take a convoy on the school-run, nor do I need an army of highly trained staff.....I happen to manage the washing, cleaning, ironing, cooking, ballet/scouts/cubs/football classed all by myself in actual fact.......I am clearly far superior to any of those stated in that article.



in fact tho, I might show DH.......he might actually start appreciating all that I do to keep out household runnning the way it does without the convoy of highly trained staff!!!

[SuziSeis]

madamementalbint 'kudos of a mum of four'

what?????

I have never thought of it like that! I have six.....

[smallorange]

MIL had four, worked night shifts as a nurse and then went to uni. She did not have a nanny, or even a cleaner until she went back to work FT.

[Madmentalbint]

Suziseis....have you never had anybody say wow, how great it must be to have 6? Maybe kudos is the wrong word? I find some people are really interested in our family dynamics and ask me how I cope etc. like I'm doing something special. Some people seem to think I know what I'm doing! (if only they knew! )

Like I said, there are also people who think that having four children must be awful, and think my life is nothing but washing and clearing up. Some days I think they might be right!

[Spidermama]

How irritating. These ridiculous journalists who try to shoe horn things into some sort of fashion trend. As if Angelina was somehow following the Blairs and some kind of celeb fashion for four is spreading to us mere mortals.

What about the celebs who have three. How about those with two. Those with one. Are they starting trends.

How about the professional couples with two children. Are they making statements.

It's utterly risible. They should write about something proper and stop being so superficial and ridiculous.

[Spidermama]

Excuse inexcusable lack of punctuation.

[ramonaquimby]

well love it or loathe it - you have to love this quote -

my brain can't hold another classful of names, faces and birthday parties



I agree and I'm only on dd3

[Ohforfoxsake]

The first piece by Sarah Vine is insulting.

The rest is neither here nor there IMO.

[elvislives]

The article was irritating. Some of the comments were funny. My favourite is "Any little body under 4 is a tyrant, however charming it looks in pyjamas."

I have 5. I work full time. I have no nanny or cleaner and I've never been ski-ing. We have a 3 bed house and 2x 5 seater cars.

[liahgen]

I didn't read the article from the mother of 3, the mother of 4 sounded depressed enough!

We are trying for #6, we live in a modest 4 /5 bed house in Kent, drive a people carrier on a M plate, and have no staff/family living nearby.

Obviously we, (as in myself and all the other mothers on here who enjoy our lives and all of our children) are clearly in the minority.

[Sorrento]

I bet they wish they'd stuck at 2 now they aren't getting their 1/2 million bonus' I hear the white company pj sales are down 50% on last year
One will be the new Four.

[SuziSeis]

agree Liaghen

the children sounded like an unwanted appendage

Family is what i do

Its my job

My life

I spend all my time doing it

On my death bed i THINK i will feel WELL PLEASED!

[kittywise]

I think Andrea hey is spot on actually.

[3boys4girls]

I'm not sure about 4 children being a sign of success but my hubby sure does get praised alot for producing 7 children, his work mates call him "supersperm" and I think Hey hold on a minute I gave birth 7 times, got piles 7 times, puked for endless morning 7times, had to battle stretch marks and failed 7 times....wheres my "super" title, hubbys part in the process only took a few seconds to produce!!

I have to say I did find the second mums comments quite funny, it is hard to go back to baby mode after having a few years break, as she says the logistics of it can be troublesome, although she made it sound so awfully depressing and I wouldnt say it was quite as bad as she made out, I shall assume she was exagerating for comic effect.

I certainly dont seem to fit into either of the two camps I'm a stay at home mum of 7 with a wonderful supportive hubby, except when it comes to nappy changes, but he cooks, shops and goes to work and is willing to help out with anything I ask (so long as it doesnt involve poo or pee) I dont have any outside help or even family help as they have their own lives but our children are fabulous workers (we have a chore schedule to earn pocket money) and are independent enough to not need mummys constant attention, we dont have a car and our house is a modest 5 bed (although bedroom 5 is more of large cupboard lol).

I agree with madmentalbint, there is a level of kudos with having so many, sure I face some negative comments but the majority of people seem amazed that we can function and are intrigued by our day to day routines.

[sorkycakey]

"It?s the Darwinian expression of a person?s physical, mental and social superiority"



feck off!

[SheherazadetheGoat]

this sort of mental incontinence is the reason all weekend paper and 'tabloid' sections of the broadsheets should be banned. there really aren't not enough interesting thoughts to fill the acres of paper produced.

[NellyTheElephant]

The 'article' bit didn't interest me so much but I enjoyed the two mothers' viewpoints - they made me laugh, it's just a bit of silliness to cheer us up a bit surely and not take very seriously??? But then I'm just a new mother of one week old no.3 so it's all still a bit new to me this supposedly 'larger' family lark! (not that 3 really counts as a large family of course!),

[kentmumtj]

sometimes i wish i had a nanny to manage my and my kids lives ..........if only

anyway
i have 4 children its just a shame they didnt interview mums with older teenage children

[thinking emotion] if i had a nanny maybe i could have a cook and a cleaner and a ......
[grins]