Anonymous
Post 04/15/2020 17:11     Subject: Re:Does anyone have 5 kids these days? What’s it like raising them

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I'm not sure if OP is asking a legitimate question or just felt like it was time for another round of DCUM's favorite game: Bash families with more kids than you have. I'll give the benefit of the doubt and answer. I'd also encourage OP to ignore 90% of the responses, since they come from people who do not have 1st hand experience with large families.

Anyway, I am a mom of 5. My kids' ages are 13, 11, 9, 6, and 3. I'd say that age range is the key to what type of experience you have. The stresses I experience are different from the stresses of my cousin, who also has 5, ages 7, 5, 3, and 1 year old twins. I very briefly had 2 in diapers at the same time, but only for a few months. She had 3 in diapers for over almost two years. On the flip side, her kids are developmentally closer and are more likely to enjoy similar activities, books, movies, etc. She will not be the mom at high school orientation with a 3 year old in tow. So think about what your age spread would be and how that would impact your life.

Our logistics:
I worked part-time after the first 2, then went back to school after #3 to change careers and become a nurse. Between pre-reqs and nursing school, that took about 3 years. I worked full time night shift until #5 was about 8 months old. I mostly worked Fri-Sat-Sun nights so that one of us was always available to be here for the kids. It was not fun or easy, but we got through it. (We have a strong marriage, so that helped a lot!) Now I work part time, 1 night shift per week. Still often on the weekend, but not always. We have been able to minimize childcare costs this way and really only occasionally use sitters.

We live off of DH's income- always have- and my income is savings for college, emergencies, etc. We do not live in the DC area, so COL is much lower. Our state also offers full-tuition scholarships for state schools, so that will likely be where several or all of them go. But we would be able to help a decent amount with our savings / investments if they choose to go out of state. We do road trips for most of our vacations- to the Midwest to see DH's family, or to beach / mountain weekends. We love camping, hiking, biking, etc. However, I am originally from Europe and have 2 sisters plus extended family there. We go about 1x every 2-3 years, mostly on FF miles. It's still a lot for rental cars (we get 2) and lodging, but our kids have gotten to see a lot of Western Europe, and it's worth it to us.


We decided to leave the DC area after #3 to move back to my home state. We live about 45 minutes away from my parents, who both still work. They occasionally will take 1-2 kids for a night at their house on a weekend, or they'll come help with getting kids to soccer games or something on a weekend if the schedules totally overlap. They jumped in when I had to have emergency surgery a couple of years ago, so it's nice to have that back up / safety net.

Our kids do plenty of activities-- soccer, gymnastics, swim team, basketball, piano, etc. Not everyone does everything, and most of it is at the rec level, so no crazy travel or insane practice schedules. Oldest DD does a more competitive soccer league, with games up to 3 hours away on some weekends. We carpool with other families, so lining up driving schedules makes those logistics work out.

Our oldest DD is not "raising" her siblings, but we do leave her in charge during screen time once a week or so while we go on a walk around the neighborhood. Everyone has chores- emptying the dishwasher, taking out trash, cleaning a bathroom, helping with laundry, taking care of their pets (gerbils & fish), etc. Nothing too arduous, and it amounts to maybe 30-45 minutes at a time, 3-4 times a week. Our kids fight like any siblings, but they are mostly happy, healthy, and glad for a rotation of playmates. We love our family and are grateful.

That's just our experience. . . hope that helps answer some of your questions / allay some of your fears!

Good luck with your decision, OP!


Your oldest is probably helping more than you'd admit. And, its sad you aren't going to pay for college relying on the state to cover it and if the state does not, then what? And, you mention you spending time with your spouse, but not your kids 1-1.


What makes you think that her oldest is helping more than she would like to admit? Her oldest is 13, so he/she should be helping with some things. But pp is mostly a SAHM, and it sounds like their lives are pretty manageable.
I would bet that there are 13 year olds out there with only 1-2 younger siblings and two parents working full time or more than full time hours who are helping significantly more.
Anonymous
Post 04/15/2020 16:49     Subject: Does anyone have 5 kids these days? What’s it like raising them

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The families i know with 5 kids are Orthodox Jews or Mormons.

I hope i never hear any woman who has birthed 3 or more kids ever call herself an environmentalist, because I will give her an earful.


I have three kids and consider myself an environmentalist. I didn’t intend to have 3. I got pregnant accidentally and struggled with whether to terminate but couldn’t bring myself to do it. I take public transportation, compost, avoid buying new things (and the third mostly uses hand me downs) and use a lot of vintage stuff to avoid buying new, have electric car for when public transportation is impractical, only eat meat occasionally and try to limit it to local free-range when we do, and donate a lot of money to environmental causes. I’m sorry that isn’t enough for you.
I got sterilized after the third if that makes you feel better.


I have 3 as well and adopting a 4th. I live 2 miles from work and DH works from home. Kids are walking distance to school. We have an electric car. We compost. We almost never fly right now, but that’s due to kids’ ages and not because we’re against flying. I don’t see the point in shaming people for having more kids.
Anonymous
Post 04/15/2020 16:49     Subject: Re:Does anyone have 5 kids these days? What’s it like raising them

Anonymous wrote:I'm not sure if OP is asking a legitimate question or just felt like it was time for another round of DCUM's favorite game: Bash families with more kids than you have. I'll give the benefit of the doubt and answer. I'd also encourage OP to ignore 90% of the responses, since they come from people who do not have 1st hand experience with large families.

Anyway, I am a mom of 5. My kids' ages are 13, 11, 9, 6, and 3. I'd say that age range is the key to what type of experience you have. The stresses I experience are different from the stresses of my cousin, who also has 5, ages 7, 5, 3, and 1 year old twins. I very briefly had 2 in diapers at the same time, but only for a few months. She had 3 in diapers for over almost two years. On the flip side, her kids are developmentally closer and are more likely to enjoy similar activities, books, movies, etc. She will not be the mom at high school orientation with a 3 year old in tow. So think about what your age spread would be and how that would impact your life.

Our logistics:
I worked part-time after the first 2, then went back to school after #3 to change careers and become a nurse. Between pre-reqs and nursing school, that took about 3 years. I worked full time night shift until #5 was about 8 months old. I mostly worked Fri-Sat-Sun nights so that one of us was always available to be here for the kids. It was not fun or easy, but we got through it. (We have a strong marriage, so that helped a lot!) Now I work part time, 1 night shift per week. Still often on the weekend, but not always. We have been able to minimize childcare costs this way and really only occasionally use sitters.

We live off of DH's income- always have- and my income is savings for college, emergencies, etc. We do not live in the DC area, so COL is much lower. Our state also offers full-tuition scholarships for state schools, so that will likely be where several or all of them go. But we would be able to help a decent amount with our savings / investments if they choose to go out of state. We do road trips for most of our vacations- to the Midwest to see DH's family, or to beach / mountain weekends. We love camping, hiking, biking, etc. However, I am originally from Europe and have 2 sisters plus extended family there. We go about 1x every 2-3 years, mostly on FF miles. It's still a lot for rental cars (we get 2) and lodging, but our kids have gotten to see a lot of Western Europe, and it's worth it to us.


We decided to leave the DC area after #3 to move back to my home state. We live about 45 minutes away from my parents, who both still work. They occasionally will take 1-2 kids for a night at their house on a weekend, or they'll come help with getting kids to soccer games or something on a weekend if the schedules totally overlap. They jumped in when I had to have emergency surgery a couple of years ago, so it's nice to have that back up / safety net.

Our kids do plenty of activities-- soccer, gymnastics, swim team, basketball, piano, etc. Not everyone does everything, and most of it is at the rec level, so no crazy travel or insane practice schedules. Oldest DD does a more competitive soccer league, with games up to 3 hours away on some weekends. We carpool with other families, so lining up driving schedules makes those logistics work out.

Our oldest DD is not "raising" her siblings, but we do leave her in charge during screen time once a week or so while we go on a walk around the neighborhood. Everyone has chores- emptying the dishwasher, taking out trash, cleaning a bathroom, helping with laundry, taking care of their pets (gerbils & fish), etc. Nothing too arduous, and it amounts to maybe 30-45 minutes at a time, 3-4 times a week. Our kids fight like any siblings, but they are mostly happy, healthy, and glad for a rotation of playmates. We love our family and are grateful.

That's just our experience. . . hope that helps answer some of your questions / allay some of your fears!

Good luck with your decision, OP!


Your oldest is probably helping more than you'd admit. And, its sad you aren't going to pay for college relying on the state to cover it and if the state does not, then what? And, you mention you spending time with your spouse, but not your kids 1-1.
Anonymous
Post 04/15/2020 16:31     Subject: Re:Does anyone have 5 kids these days? What’s it like raising them

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:People with five kids now are Mormons or catholic idiots.


I think the only families I know with 5 are Jews. I’m a Catholic and I think the biggest family I know is 4 (excepting blended families in case of remarriage).


The only families I personally know with that many kids are Muslim or fundamental Christians.


I know quite a few Mormon and Catholic families with 5+. I don’t know. It doesn’t seem that weird to me. Some people really like having children. Some people also just get pregnant really easily, so the moment they are on the fence, they wind up with another child.
Anonymous
Post 04/15/2020 15:29     Subject: Re:Does anyone have 5 kids these days? What’s it like raising them

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:People with five kids now are Mormons or catholic idiots.


I think the only families I know with 5 are Jews. I’m a Catholic and I think the biggest family I know is 4 (excepting blended families in case of remarriage).


The only families I personally know with that many kids are Muslim or fundamental Christians.
Anonymous
Post 04/15/2020 15:24     Subject: Re:Does anyone have 5 kids these days? What’s it like raising them

I'm not sure if OP is asking a legitimate question or just felt like it was time for another round of DCUM's favorite game: Bash families with more kids than you have. I'll give the benefit of the doubt and answer. I'd also encourage OP to ignore 90% of the responses, since they come from people who do not have 1st hand experience with large families.

Anyway, I am a mom of 5. My kids' ages are 13, 11, 9, 6, and 3. I'd say that age range is the key to what type of experience you have. The stresses I experience are different from the stresses of my cousin, who also has 5, ages 7, 5, 3, and 1 year old twins. I very briefly had 2 in diapers at the same time, but only for a few months. She had 3 in diapers for over almost two years. On the flip side, her kids are developmentally closer and are more likely to enjoy similar activities, books, movies, etc. She will not be the mom at high school orientation with a 3 year old in tow. So think about what your age spread would be and how that would impact your life.

Our logistics:
I worked part-time after the first 2, then went back to school after #3 to change careers and become a nurse. Between pre-reqs and nursing school, that took about 3 years. I worked full time night shift until #5 was about 8 months old. I mostly worked Fri-Sat-Sun nights so that one of us was always available to be here for the kids. It was not fun or easy, but we got through it. (We have a strong marriage, so that helped a lot!) Now I work part time, 1 night shift per week. Still often on the weekend, but not always. We have been able to minimize childcare costs this way and really only occasionally use sitters.

We live off of DH's income- always have- and my income is savings for college, emergencies, etc. We do not live in the DC area, so COL is much lower. Our state also offers full-tuition scholarships for state schools, so that will likely be where several or all of them go. But we would be able to help a decent amount with our savings / investments if they choose to go out of state. We do road trips for most of our vacations- to the Midwest to see DH's family, or to beach / mountain weekends. We love camping, hiking, biking, etc. However, I am originally from Europe and have 2 sisters plus extended family there. We go about 1x every 2-3 years, mostly on FF miles. It's still a lot for rental cars (we get 2) and lodging, but our kids have gotten to see a lot of Western Europe, and it's worth it to us.


We decided to leave the DC area after #3 to move back to my home state. We live about 45 minutes away from my parents, who both still work. They occasionally will take 1-2 kids for a night at their house on a weekend, or they'll come help with getting kids to soccer games or something on a weekend if the schedules totally overlap. They jumped in when I had to have emergency surgery a couple of years ago, so it's nice to have that back up / safety net.

Our kids do plenty of activities-- soccer, gymnastics, swim team, basketball, piano, etc. Not everyone does everything, and most of it is at the rec level, so no crazy travel or insane practice schedules. Oldest DD does a more competitive soccer league, with games up to 3 hours away on some weekends. We carpool with other families, so lining up driving schedules makes those logistics work out.

Our oldest DD is not "raising" her siblings, but we do leave her in charge during screen time once a week or so while we go on a walk around the neighborhood. Everyone has chores- emptying the dishwasher, taking out trash, cleaning a bathroom, helping with laundry, taking care of their pets (gerbils & fish), etc. Nothing too arduous, and it amounts to maybe 30-45 minutes at a time, 3-4 times a week. Our kids fight like any siblings, but they are mostly happy, healthy, and glad for a rotation of playmates. We love our family and are grateful.

That's just our experience. . . hope that helps answer some of your questions / allay some of your fears!

Good luck with your decision, OP!
Anonymous
Post 04/15/2020 14:12     Subject: Does anyone have 5 kids these days? What’s it like raising them

Anonymous wrote:I can't stand people who have more than 3 kids.


Wow. You sound just terrible!
Anonymous
Post 04/15/2020 14:08     Subject: Does anyone have 5 kids these days? What’s it like raising them

Anonymous wrote:I can't stand people who have more than 3 kids.


That's unfortunate. Several in my circle have 3+ kids. We're actually very nice and fun to be around.
Anonymous
Post 04/14/2020 22:32     Subject: Does anyone have 5 kids these days? What’s it like raising them

Are you tall by any chance? You’d have your own basketball team... or musical? be like the Partridge Family,.. AIM for 8 and get on reality tv? Jk

I’d assume 5 is a ton of work and really expensive..
Anonymous
Post 04/14/2020 21:52     Subject: Does anyone have 5 kids these days? What’s it like raising them

We have three, and if we were younger and had more money, we would hire surrogates to carry the remaining three embryos we have in storage. Alas, we stopped at three because we're too old for more.
Anonymous
Post 04/14/2020 21:28     Subject: Re:Does anyone have 5 kids these days? What’s it like raising them

Quite a few of my students come from families that big. They are all Hispanic.
Anonymous
Post 04/14/2020 21:00     Subject: Does anyone have 5 kids these days? What’s it like raising them

I can't stand people who have more than 3 kids.
Anonymous
Post 04/14/2020 14:08     Subject: Does anyone have 5 kids these days? What’s it like raising them

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I know two families with 4 and one family with five. Dads always work, moms have no energy. The kids are left to fend for themselves. Older ones become nannies for the little ones. They never have money, family members are never well groomed. They rely on handouts- state subsidized day care, free school lunches and breakfasts, etc.


This is definitely not true for the 4-5 kid families I know. Dads work, moms don't, but they're not out of energy. To the contrary, they seem more engaged and energetic than other moms I know. (I only have 2 kids so I am not talking about myself). Many of my friends who have 4-5 kids had them relatively close together so no one is taking care of the others. They are also all rich, always well-groomed and well-dressed, and don't get any kind of handouts.

Don't generalize. The other side also exists
I personally know of one family where the mother asked the oldest to drop out of high school and babysit so she could work
That teenager got married early, is 24 with 3 kids already and living on welfare, occasionally at her parents house because of domestic violence



Can you read? The first post talks about poor 4-5 kid families. I commented to say that the 4-5 kid families I know are all wealthy. My point was that you can't say that people with 4-5 kids are a certain type. My whole point was not to generalize.
Anonymous
Post 04/14/2020 13:41     Subject: Does anyone have 5 kids these days? What’s it like raising them

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I know two families with 4 and one family with five. Dads always work, moms have no energy. The kids are left to fend for themselves. Older ones become nannies for the little ones. They never have money, family members are never well groomed. They rely on handouts- state subsidized day care, free school lunches and breakfasts, etc.


This is definitely not true for the 4-5 kid families I know. Dads work, moms don't, but they're not out of energy. To the contrary, they seem more engaged and energetic than other moms I know. (I only have 2 kids so I am not talking about myself). Many of my friends who have 4-5 kids had them relatively close together so no one is taking care of the others. They are also all rich, always well-groomed and well-dressed, and don't get any kind of handouts.

Don't generalize. The other side also exists
I personally know of one family where the mother asked the oldest to drop out of high school and babysit so she could work
That teenager got married early, is 24 with 3 kids already and living on welfare, occasionally at her parents house because of domestic violence



No one is saying the other side doesn’t exist, but it’s silly to assume that a family is a dysfunctional mess just bc they have 3+ kids. As far as anecdotes go, most of my close friends from college (graduated 2005) have 3 or more kids, and all are doing well. Every single one is wealthy with a nanny, big house, good jobs etc.
Anonymous
Post 04/14/2020 12:53     Subject: Does anyone have 5 kids these days? What’s it like raising them

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I know two families with 4 and one family with five. Dads always work, moms have no energy. The kids are left to fend for themselves. Older ones become nannies for the little ones. They never have money, family members are never well groomed. They rely on handouts- state subsidized day care, free school lunches and breakfasts, etc.


This is definitely not true for the 4-5 kid families I know. Dads work, moms don't, but they're not out of energy. To the contrary, they seem more engaged and energetic than other moms I know. (I only have 2 kids so I am not talking about myself). Many of my friends who have 4-5 kids had them relatively close together so no one is taking care of the others. They are also all rich, always well-groomed and well-dressed, and don't get any kind of handouts.

Don't generalize. The other side also exists
I personally know of one family where the mother asked the oldest to drop out of high school and babysit so she could work
That teenager got married early, is 24 with 3 kids already and living on welfare, occasionally at her parents house because of domestic violence