It can be. In a certain way, it’s like saying you met your spouse early enough that having 4+ kids is an option, you’re financially secure enough to provide for them, and you’re healthy enough to be able to do it. There are a lot of celebs and very rich people who have 4+ kids.

Most of the time though, 4+ kids means multiple baby daddies/mommies, government benefits, struggling financially, or you’re really religious and I don’t think any of those are status symbols.

God I don’t know how anyone can do it in this day and age.

I’m exhausted just thinking about it.

Anonymous wrote:We are UMC and are due with our 4th, but it's a religious choice for us, nothing to do with how much we earn. We believe God will provide and plan to home school if our life changes and we can't afford private.

I think Jesus would want you to adopt or foster children that need help, not keep over populating the planet.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Families with 4+ kids I think - climate deniers, religious and “traditional family values”.

I do not think status symbol at all.

I tend to think the happy couple has a lot of sex and the 4th was a surprise. BTDT, and I know a handful of women in the same boat.

FTR, 4 kids doesn’t put you in the Uber religious category at all.

I think 4+ children is a bit gross unless the family is uber religious and then I think it's just a general lack of intelligence.

I know 3 families really well that have 4 kids. None are wealthy.
One family - both parents came from large extended families and that was what they wanted for their family too.

Another family had 3 and when those 3 were in middle/high school there was an unplanned baby.

The third is religious and had as many kids as God planned.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Umm most of the families with large numbers of this kids in this area are depending on either the public school or homeschooling to educate their kids.

Hence the freakout that DMV schools are all virtual for the year. They didn't budget for the costs of keeping these kids at home or hiring 'pods' to help teach them.

When you can afford to send 4+ kids to private school for 18 years then yes, its a status symbol.

That is an odd comment since the majority of all families depend on public schools for education, regardless of the number of children.

For the UC or the truly wealthy private schools are the status symbols, not the number of kids (although you must be able to afford privates for all of them). KellyAnne Conway's kids (all four of them) have been enrolled in private schools their whole lives. Maria Shriver's four kids? All private all the way.

Shriver’s choice for have a lot of kids has to do more with her Irish Catholic upbringing than money.

I’ve never seen it that way.

No it’s a sign of devoutness. The umc or uc families I know well (well enough to speak on their devoutness) with four or five are all quite devout. I know a lot of rich Mormons.

Anonymous wrote:Families with 4+ kids I think - climate deniers, religious and “traditional family values”.

I do not think status symbol at all.

I tend to think the happy couple has a lot of sex and the 4th was a surprise. BTDT, and I know a handful of women in the same boat.

FTR, 4 kids doesn’t put you in the Uber religious category at all.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Umm most of the families with large numbers of this kids in this area are depending on either the public school or homeschooling to educate their kids.

Hence the freakout that DMV schools are all virtual for the year. They didn't budget for the costs of keeping these kids at home or hiring 'pods' to help teach them.

When you can afford to send 4+ kids to private school for 18 years then yes, its a status symbol.

That is an odd comment since the majority of all families depend on public schools for education, regardless of the number of children.

+1

Private school is a status symbol on its own. My alma mater is nearly $30k per year. Some privates are $40k.

Families with 4+ kids I think - climate deniers, religious and “traditional family values”.

I do not think status symbol at all.

thatwould suck. Dealing with kids for clout. LOL

Anonymous wrote:I’ve noticed in my UMC area that having 4+ kids is the new status symbol, it’s mostly the wealthier families that do it and do t have to give a second though to providing college or paying for several kids at once in pricey camps or private school!

Not in my circle in McLean. We would never have had 4- no matter how high our income soared. Two nearly drowned us.

It can be.

Anonymous wrote:It depends on where you live. If you live in fly-over country its often a sign of religious devoutness. That or poverty. On the coasts, it could be a symptom of a blended family - each with their own set of kids. Or wealth.

In the UK and other parts of Europe its a sign of poverty. More kids = more handouts.

I’m Canadian and this is very much the case where I live (think Canadian flyover if you will). Most are very young, often with multiple kids by 20, and aren’t shy about wanting child benefits.