OT: Out of curiosity, any of you with 4 children...................

[ddmarsh]

planning on having another? :)

[Calmegja2]

Nope. DH is fixed. :-)

[amp]

No, but I wondered, are you trying to tell us something Debbie?! ;-)

[lukkykatt]

I was thinking the same thing!

[ddmarsh]

LOL, no! We have been discussing it in a *very* loose way. It's really very unlikely, I was just curious if anyone else had decided to take the plunge :).

[Bethann31]

Katherine's unofficial middle name is "grand finale."

although.....


Beth
mom to 3 (13, 11 and 8) and then 1 more (06/04/03)

[ddmarsh]

LOL!

[mamahill]

I don't have 4 kids, but I'm the oldest of 6 and I LOVE it. When my parents added #5 it didn't seem like that much different since we already outnumbered my parents. And then when I was 15, when other teenagers are trying to fenagle their own room, I was bugging my parents for another sibling. Weird, but we figure it was a sign because a couple months later they had their "whoops" moment and #6 was conceived.

DH is #4 of 6 and also loves having a big family. BUT, neither of us wants that many kids. First of all, we don't have the financial ability to independently support that many. And second, we both have different perspectives on how parenting styles change (and relax) over the years. We also see both sets of parents as being "tired" of parenting and still having several years before the remaining children are out of the home.

So that's my perspetive. If you have the energy and the means (wink wink), you won't regret it. Of course, be prepared for some raised eyebrows (though maybe you're getting that already?). I'm surprised at how many people (at least around here) are shocked at a family with more than 3 kids.

[toomanystrollers]

We're done w/three.

Our last baby, Neve's nickname is "neve-r-again" :)

[ddmarsh]

Sarah - I had to laugh at the raised eyebrows b/c the unfortunate family at our church who gets the brunt of that is one that is currently expecting their 14th - yes you read that correctly - child.

We really are not likely to have another, I was just curious what others were thinking.

[Calmegja2]

I still get shocked at the comments we get, from utter strangers, in public, about the number of kids we have. We've been asked if we know how babies are made. Seriously. Where is Miss Manners when you need her most?

It's four, not two dozen, for Maude's sake. ;-)

I love it when I'm out with three, and someone makes a comment, and I say, "This isn't everyone."

[ddmarsh]

It does get rather old. You can't imagine the comments I have heard of people with really large families getting. Some that come to mind are "do they all have the same father", "are they all yours", "do you know what causes that"........uggghhhhhh........what makes it anyone's business??

[mamahill]

LOL - my parents used to get that "Wow you have a lot of kids" when they'd be out with 4 (uh, yeah, and there are 2 more at home). And my dad has black hair and my mom brown, so when 3 of us girls have red hair (different shades, though), a sister has blonde hair, and both brothers have brown hair, people just assume we're a Brady-bunch kind of family. Either that, or they thought I was a promiscuous teenager and the youngest was mine.

My dad was mortified when he won "Most Kids" at his 20-year-reunion because he was on the quiet/reserved side in high school. Oh, and that was when they "only" had 5.

I love having a big family. We had a "small" Thanksgiving this year with only 14 people. We'll have a bigger Christmas Eve, though still "small" by our standards - "only" 25. Let the good times roll!

[jojo2324]

That's horrifying!! I might wonder how the mom is doing (but only because I know how *I* am doing, and I've only got one, LOL), but I think big families are great! I am the oldest of five, and I loved all the chaos and noise we grew up with.

I wanted 5 kids before I had Gannon. Now I think 2 might be it, but we'll see how it goes. I think it depends a lot too on finances...We were poor growing up, and there was a lot of stress which I can imagine was exacerbated by having 5 mouths to feed. And regardless, there will be more than 19 months between the next two, LOL. :)

A friend of an acquaintance has four children under 5. She was unable to conceive for a very long time, so used IVF and had twins. A year later, another one. And then a year after that, another one! (The last two without IVF.) But somebody told her once that she was a socially irresponsible person. I just can't believe people have so little tact.

And, LOL Sarah, about your "kid." I got a comment once when I was 13 and I was walking my sister around the neighborhood in the stroller. She was only a few months old, and a person alluded to the idea that she was mine. I was floored! (Of course in my town, growing up there *were* some 13 year olds with babies, but that's a whole other can o' worms.)

[bunnisa]

Well, we only have one so far (at least that I'm aware of ;) ) so I can't speak from experience, but I think large families are wonderful!!! Before we married, DH & I agreed on a minimum of 3, but as time goes by, the minimum has gone up to 4, maybe more! (Although, of course, it's not completely up to us.)

Children are a gift, and it's sad that many people do not view them as such.

Can you imagine if every stable, loving family had 4 or more children? The world would be a very different place in a generation or two.

Bethany
It's a Boy!
William Eric (Wilkes)
6/16/03

p.s. Responses to "Don't you know what causes that?"
- "No...could you tell me?"
- "Yes. Don't you?!?"
- "Yes, and we really enjoy it"
but the best is:
- "Love. An overabundance of LOVE."