Parents of 4 or more kids, how do you survive? I'm curious to know how you make it work with a big family. Do you have hired help, family help, or do you manage on your own? I know families with three kids but very few with more than that, so I'm interested in knowing what it's like.
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My friend has 4 but she pretty much always has her mom or her husband there with her. Her kids are all spaced 2-3 years apart.
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My SIL just had her 6th child last September. The older ones (the oldest is 15) help a lot with the youngest kids, and all of the kids help around the house (cooking dinner, setting the table, cleaning up...). Everyone has a job, and they all pitch in to help run the house.
My SIL said after the third one all the others were "eh, our lives are chaotic anyway, what's another one?"
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My friend is just about to have her fourth. No family around. She acts like its the easiest thing ever. Her kids are good sleepers and she is strict so doesnt put up with much, haha.
They are almost 6, almost 4, 2.5 and she's due soon.
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Our friends have 4... They live next to one set of parents
And they also home school... I have no idea how it all happens and they recently just did a cross country trip with the 4th under 6 mo!
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3 of my closest childhood friends all have 4 kids. They all have help from grandmother (their moms).
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My cousins were a 4 kid family and their aunt lived in to help. I know another family who had grandma help. I wonder how many can be done without help!
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My cousin has 4 kids and WOH, and she relies a LOT on both her own mom and her MIL, along with her oldest daughter. They're also mega broke most of the time. Seems like kind of a nightmare to me, but she's a great mom and her kids are pretty awesome.
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I know a couple large families (5-8 kids and some of those are still planning on having more) Every 4+mom I talk to says it's no harder adding after 3 because you're essentially adding an older kid that can help, not a baby.
The idea is, assuming a 2 year spacing, you go from a baby, 2yo, 4yo to a baby, 2yo, 4yo, and 6yo (who is ideally fairly independent and helpful). Then if you have another you'll have a baby, 2yo, 4yo, 6yo, and 8yo - so 2 'helpful aged' kids. I still think of these moms as super heros, especially considering most of these women I know are military wives, away from family, often solo parenting, and typically homeschool.
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I come from a family of 7 kids and my mom took care of all of us while my dad worked, she made it seem pretty easy and we are all less than 2 years apart, once we grew up we did help around the house alot mostly me and my sister because I have 5 brothers and they helped but not as much as my sister and I. Its definetly possible but alot of work when they are younger
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@sleepybear: @WifeMama24: I really admire the people who can do it on their own!
It seems to be more common to have family help, but I know a lot of people don't live near family or have uninvolved family members, so I definitely feel for them.
And they also home school... I have no idea how it all happens and they recently just did a cross country trip with the 4th under 6 mo!
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