Do You Have A Large Family/ Would You Like One?

Question

if so or if not so why?

what are the positives and negatives?

do you know any large families if so how many children do they have?

Answer 1

I come from a family of 14. Eight sisters and five brothers.  I'm the youngest of the 14. I love having a large family for children for my children to play with. Only down side is when my parent got to me during my childhood they were to tired to be involved. I wish they were. But I cant dread about it now. I have my own family to attend to.

Answer 2

a large family isnt for everyone.i thought i would stop at two but here i am now with 4 and considering one more in a couple of years. i spaced out the first three and it really made it easier to care for them and to give them quality attention. i am the oldest of 6 and thought i never wanted to be like my mother with alot of kids. i love and enjoy all of my kids. its what keeps me young.  

Answer 3

I came from a big family, my parents had 8 kids. 4 girls and 4 boys.

And i do not wish that on anyone! No matter how you look at it, you take the youth away from the older kids. They are expected to much of. With large families, unless you can afford maids, the kids end up doing more work then they should. While all of there friends are out playing and having fun, they have housework to do, diapers to change, siblings to watch, and dinner to help cook.

I would never do that to my children! I am now 32 and married with 2 kids. My kids have certain chores, like keeping there bedroom cleaned, taking the trash out, and help load the dish washer. But they are not expected to do these things everyday. I allow my kids to be kids! They get to go out and play in the dirt with friends.

It is not just my experience with a large family, but i had friends growing up that came from large families as well, and we would talk about this. We all agreed that it wasn't fair for the kids. And now that we are adults, we still the same way.  It is wonderful to love kids and want to have a large family, but take a real look at what it would actually be like. How much quality time do actually get with each child?  And what kind of life can you make for each child?  Will they be allowed to be kids?

Answer 4

We have 4 kids and are going to have more.  I think that family is one of the most important things in life, so why not include as many as you can in that?  I am one of 6 kids myself and my husband is one of 5 kids.  

Despite how some modern research indicates that families with a lot of kids do not have time to devote to each of their children, I believe that, if done right, large families can be a great place to teach social skills and learning to love and serve each other.  My brothers and now their wives are my greatest friends and allies in this world, and same with my husband and his siblings.  

I also think that you don't need a lot of money, contrary to what the majority believe, to have a large family.  You just have to know how to be frugal and economical, less wasteful.  Grow a garden (a great way to teach kids how to work and the joy of watching something you've planted grow into something you can eat--also makes them more likely to want to eat the vegetables they have grown themselves), find fun activities that don't cost much (or anything at all), work together to keep the house in good order.  All of this contributes to a great family life and teaches your children good strong values and work ethics.

The only drawback I see to a large family is the chaos.  There will be some chaos, no matter how organized and well-controlled your home may be, it just comes with larger groups.  Everything else that people may cite (not enough money, not enough space, not getting along) are either unimportant or can be avoided if done right.  

Answer 5

Umm, I would like a medium family.

A boy and girl, close in age. Maybe, a younger one too after that.

I think more then 2/3 kids would be a really big hassle. You wouldnt have anytime to your self!!!

Well, my little sister watches Jill and Kate plus 8 lol

Answer 6

My mom is comes from family of 13 kids! My dad of 8 kids. I would love to have a lot of kids. Today, I have more then 30 cousins, who are all married, with at least 3 kids. When we meet for a family gathering it is over 100 people and believe me, it is great!!!!!

Answer 7

my family beats all ya'lls. 15 kids, 1 grandkid. but its a his (4), hers (4), and theirs (2), plus adopted kids and foster kids, etc.

myself, i kinda like being the oldest (i'm 18) still living at home with 11 younger siblings. yes it gets hectic and crazy and trying, and they can be bratty at times, but we have our "sweet" moments. the laundry i'm not a fan of.

but when i get older i don't want 15 kids. no way, i'm surprised my step mom hasn't shot herself yet, i would have. i want 3-4 of my own, and then i want to adopt/foster. i was a foster kid, so i know what they go through. so we're talking maybe 6 permanent kids and then foster full time once they are up and out.

of course thats just how i'd plan it, we all know it doesn't always work like we want, but i think i'd be happy no matter how it works out.

Answer 8

I have a large family and my husband and I come from a large family.  The positives are lots of love, extra hugs and kisses, always having someone to chat with, extra hands around the house to help out, wonderful family time around the dinner table, playing games, watching movies, doing puzzles, etc.

The negatives are the amount of MULA $$$ you spend on clothes, food, shoes, school supplies, childcare, etc.  The fact that you never ever ever (hardly) get alone time or QUIET time unless someone takes all the kids at once.  Lots of sibling rilvalry.  Other than that, I love my children and my big family.

Answer 9

We have 6 children and I would have loved to have had more. Negatives would be the time and attention each person needs...it's difficult sometimes. But the positives are the wonderful times we all have together, learning and loving :)

Answer 10

I came from a small family...

I would only like to have 2-3 children, so that would make us a family of 4-5, which is perfect for me =).

Answer 11

I came from a large family (5 kids including me) and I think this baby will be our last. My husband might be switching jobs and it will make him not home a lot and I can't raise anymore than 3 (not sure if I can do 3) on my own.

Answer 12

I have a large family.  I have five kids.  We enjoy it this way.  It surely makes for an interesting life...never a dull moment here!

The advantages/disadvantages are many, just like in any family.  I will try to name a few of each.

Advantages: ~There is always someone to talk to or to share something with.  

~So much fun when we have family even ts like picnics and such.

~ We get to experience so many of  the stages of parenting at once.  

~Once you've had a few, it seems like a piece of cake to have them.  You don't worry about the little things anymore.

Disadvantages:~ Grocery bill!!

~Lots of people vying for your attention at once.  Sometimes it feels like there isn't enough of me to go around.

~ More children equals more laundry/cleaning/errands/activities/need...

But the biggest point of all is there are more people to love...that makes it all worth it to me.

And no, contrary to what some believe, my older children never have to cook dinner, change a diaper or any more chores than any other kid.  What a silly assumption to think that all families are the same.

Answer 13

I come from a large family. five brothers and four sisters, Even though I love them all very much it can be very hectic being around them.

I also want a big family because growing up with a big family makes you realize that many people love you. I have four children. Three daughters and one son.

Positives and negatives are the same as if you had a small family. It's just more people and it's a great experience

Answer 14

both my parents came from large families (6 on each side). My mum successfully gave birth to 4 girls, and miscarried 3, and my father has 11 children. I naturally followed the line of large families and have my beautiful 9 children. (8 girls and 1 boy,). The positives are, you always have someone to talk to. the negatives, very little one on one time.  

Answer 15

I was raised with one sister (although we had another one who we rarely saw).

I would like to have 4 kids...I want at least 3, but 4 is better b/c I'm trying to avoid "middle child syndrome"! :-D

Answer 16

I came from a family of four, but my husband and I are talking about having four children (family of six).  We are about to delivery baby #2 so we will see if we continue on that path or if we change our minds.  :)

Answer 17

I always thought I wanted a large family - 4 or 5 kids. I changed my mind the minute I had my first. I love him to death, and I wouldn't change anything for the world. But I'm fairly certain, I won't be having more children.

I grew up in a Catholic farming neighorhood. There was a family with 9 kids, one with 18 kids, one with 4 kids, and another with 8 kids. The kids in these families were a little older than me and would babysit my sister & me. We would go to their houses sometimes. I remember thinking how exciting it was to have so many people around all the time. Guess that's why I wanted a large family.

Answer 18

I have 10 sisters & brothers including myself. Some have passed away sadly. 3 older ones have passed away :(. So yeah I have a big family. But my husband and I only want 2 kids.

Answer 19

I have two children and am happy although if I had a bigger house, more money and more patience, I might consider having more. I like that I have plenty of energy and time to devote to my two and they don't feel neglected. There are some amazing moms of many children but I know my limits and two is it.

Answer 20

I have a older sister  and a younger sister and brother and lots of cousins and aunts and two nephews. I'm married and have a daughter and I want 2 more. I have a big family my great grand mother had 14 kids wow! and they all have kids and even some grand kids   I'm used to big families but I don't think I want to be pregnant that many times both me and my husband have talked about having kids and since my daughter is adopted we are only going to have 2 of our own.