My mom and dad were not good parents. They were totally into themselves with little concern about their kids. They let us get sexually abused by denying that there were family problems & ignoring signs of it. My siblings and I are still kind and caring to our 90 yr old parents but exhausted from the effort of caregiving plus we know they would never have knocked themselves out for anyone like we are doing. I think our dedication after such bad treatment is just another sign of this family's disfunction.

DH & his siblings are in their 20's now. FIL didn't pay child support to his ex (DH's mom) the whole time DH was growing up. Now, FIL is having to pay back child support & he keeps whining "but the kids are grown" & he doesn't think that it's "fair" he still has to pay MIL. FIL's wife is pissed off about it too. I hate visiting them because all they do is whine about what a "selfish cunt" FIL's ex is for taking all "their money" away. DH has abandonment issues & wants FIL's approval, so he won't stand up to FIL & tell him to stop whining. I'm glad MIL is finally getting what she's owed.

My grandma had so many kids because she wanted that many, not because she had no choice. She had a few friends who used natural family planning and one who even had an abortion. They had smaller families. And every mom who has a large family started out with several kids of a young age with no older ones to help out. They still did it. I'm in my twenties and I have four kids and I want more. I liked having lots of siblings and I want that for my kids too. It's not for everyone but it does give me a different view on SAHMs with only a few kids who complain. I don't judge WOHMs.

So sick and tired of DH´s constant travels... He travels a lot for work, I understand, never complain, but inside I feel depressed and exhausted of having to take care of DS by myself and work full time! And I have no family nearby, so I work full time, DS goes to kindergarten full time, and in the evenings I take him to swimming lessons, take care of him, take care of the house, and I´m really tired... Almost giving up on having a second baby... But DS wants so much a sibling and I never wanted an only child :(

I honestly thought watching younger siblings was a part of being a family. My sister is ten years younger than me and I never had an issue with watching whether my mom was working or out on a date. Yeah, I sometimes missed out on things I wanted to do but thats life. I will say that it definitely taught me to be sexually responsible. I know how much it sucks taking care of a young child and I know I'm not ready for it. I can't stand listening to my friend's kids whine about having to babysit siblings. Get over it.

Wow, I never considered the sitters we used for occasional evenings away from the kids to be strangers! They were competent responsible teenagers with younger siblings. They knew how to take care of my kids and the kids loved them to come over and have fun and give them snacks before the kids went to bed. My kids are grown now but I still keep in touch with these grownup sitters. They are fine young women and my kids & we were privileged to have them in our home.

One of my deepest secrets: Me and a sibling were molested as children, and after my father found out, he tried to pull some strings to have the guy found and killed. Either he's lying to himself, or lying to me, because he thinks he was successful. I had a friend check some vital records, and the guy is still alive. Good. Dad asked me as a kid if I wanted the guy to die, and I said no. Still bitterly angry that my dad tried to have it done anyway.

I resent my mother because she dumped her responsibilities on me. She would beat me as a child, and as a teenager, which she never did to my siblings. She denies all of it, often cries and stops speaking to me if I bring it up. I try to mend things, but she's a bit impossible.

I don't understand families that think everyone has to be connected at the hip and do everything together. Then they get jealous when someone has friends that they spend time with, as well. I have 5 siblings and we all love each other very much however, we also have lives. We all respect each other and love each other. We do not have to be best friends snf do everything together to feel loved. Get some friends.

Having children is not a necessity, its not something that will kill you if you don't, its not vital to your life,and no one can make you have children. Its too bad that most children that are born out of some self serving need, under the guise of "accidents" or "pressure to have" or "I wanted to have a sibling for my other child" the truth is, you want a baby, not children who run and scream and cause you headaches and stress. Better think before you have another one of those "accidents"