General Chat

This was in my local newspaper, or will be tonight, with a picture of the whole lot, including dad with the bad back holding a toddler:

Meet the 24-year-old with seven children



Forget 2.4 children - one Norwich mum has had seven by the age of 24 and says she now wants number eight.

When Susie C. fell pregnant at 15 she shocked her family by announcing she wanted another seven children.

True to her word, Susie has either given birth or been pregnant every year since, and she and her husband Dax, 25, are planning on having an eighth baby in two years.

Neither of them has a job, and the pair, from near Gas Hill, receive £24,000 a year in benefits to support their brood of seven.

Mrs C. said: “I like being pregnant, and I like having babies. Being part of a big family is fun, and it makes me feel needed and loved. I love watching their little personalities develop, and each milestone is special.”

But she conceded: “It's a struggle. I have a lot of help from both our families. Some of my friends think it's daunting having so much responsibility, but I'm not interested in going out and getting drunk; I just love being a wife and mother.”

She added: “I do want my kids to work and hope they all have interesting and rewarding careers. If one of them became a parent at 16, I couldn't complain because I did it and I'm happy. Dax joked that if our seven kids had seven kids of their own, he'd be a granddad to 49!

“Everyone has the right to a big family, and I shouldn't be criticised for being on benefits. I don't have time to work and I can't leave Dax.

“We only take what we're entitled to and we'll stop at eight. Being a wife and mum is the most important job in the world.”

The couple, pictured right, receive £500 a week made up of child tax credits and child benefit. They pay £15 a month towards the rent of their home, which has four double bedrooms and a garden.

Their children - Hope, eight, Neisha, seven, Ethan, six, Neo, five, Rhiver, three, Marli, one, and Taio-Ashar, six months - were all planned.

Hope, Neisha, Ethan and Neo are all at school, and Rhiver attends a free pre-school every weekday morning. Mrs C. said: “It's not all stress - a lot of it's fun. I only have two babies at home and the rest are at school or pre-school.”

Her dad looked after Hope while she sat her exams. She passed a handful of GCSEs at grade C and D, but just four months after having Hope she fell pregnant with Neisha.

Mrs C., who married Dax four years ago, said: “We were delighted and didn't want to stop trying for babies until we'd reached our goal of having eight. Our families weren't disappointed: they were very supportive.

“We wanted to have children young so we could have a closer bond with them.

“When they are having teenage problems we'll be able to talk openly and honestly about them because we were that age not
long ago. Having the children so close together means they are great friends, and I would love them to always be close.”

She passed an A-level in childcare with an A grade after studying part-time while pregnant with Neisha, and, between subsequent pregnancies, she worked in a leisure centre and as a special needs teaching assistant for nine months.

Mr C.had trained to be an auxiliary nurse after school but stopped when Hope was six months old because of a bad back.

Shortly afterwards, he was diagnosed with chronic arthritis and has not worked since.



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This makes me so angry, I know this boy, his mother was on benefits for a while when she moved to my area with her son and older daughter and her husband was imprisoned for hitting her. She had a wealthy family behind her, in business, and yet lived in a rent free house until she started working part time when the children got older, then she got together with a wealthy man and moved out of the city.
I saw her recently and she was boasting about all her grandchildren, she is a lot younger than me as had her kids young. Her daughter is a career girl and doesn't seem to want to settle down or have kids, but her son is certainly making up for it. Can't understand how his arthritis is bad enough to stop him working yet he can manage to father and play with all these kids, and they want another!
Am I unfair in my thinking? The mother of the children says it is everyone's right to have the family they want! She got pregnant at 15 but obviously Dax didn't get into trouble over it, time the police got tough with youngsters getting pregnant when not of age.


Lizx

These parasites make me really sick,
Our taxes are paying for all of this,

What can anyone say to this. APPALLING!

It happens here as well, the parents do not work, they feel it is their right not to work and sponge of our hard earned taxes. The tax my OH pays is keeping families like this.

If the parents do not work the children will grow up thinking this is normal and do the same thing.

Gail

Hi Gail, hope you are feeling better.
Hi Claire, and Clairejo, you are up late, or early.

I have no objection to people being on benefits for various reasons, I had to do that myself for a while, but to go on having children for the sake of being pregnant etc, it absolutely ridiculous. The father of these children used to play out on the park near my home, and many times when I was about there I would warn him not to swing on the moveable goalposts, he did it once too often and broke his wrist and claimed and got around £1000 from the council and they took the posts away, so depriving all the other kids. Then he was boasting about the toys he had bought with the money, he was still at middle school at the time so under 12!

Hi Liz, have either of these people ever worked in their very short lives??? Does not appear so.

There are reason why people need to go on benefits at times and they are entitled. I was on benefits when I went back to study and then looking for work, it was for something positive. Disability is another reason (though I cannot get it as OH works). But we have worked and payed tax through out our lives.

But to have never worked and expect to be entitled is just not on.



Gail

Gail, only for short periods apparently, she between pregnancies, and he apparently 'trained as an auxiliary nurse but stopped when the first child was six months old because of a bad back and shortly after was diagnosed with chronic arthritis and not worked since.' Hasn't held him back from producing so many children tho, wonder how his back holds up lol

The mind boggles, I wonder how he manages to produce these children with such a bad back then. IVF??? Sorry so much going through my mind on this one.

Gail

What's up Claire, you ok?
pm if you like - I am around for another half an hour.

Lizx

Gail, that's what I wonder, his back is obviously ok in certain positions lol, I can't believe they would get ivf treatment lol

We have just watched an item on our 6 pm news


................. a Honduran man in Canada illegally, admits he was once a drug dealer but has now reformed, and is appealing a decision to deport him immediately back to Honduras because he has to support his wife and 10 children, with another one on the way.

He is apparently 28, and they have apparently been married for 10 years.

He came here illegally in the first place, was deported a few days after they married, but made his way back to Canada within 6 months, again entering illegally. He was supposed to go to Ottawa (from Vancouver) before last December for something to do with getting his Honduran passport ....................... his wife said they couldn't afford the fare because he couldn't go alone. Not sure if this meant all 12 of them wanted to go! True enough, the plane fare would be around £500 per adult.

Because he did not go to Ottawa and get the passport, the Canadian government says the case has been closed, and he therefore has to leave the country at once.

Cases that have got this far have already gone on for years ........ possibly since soon after his second arrival here.

Now they have gone public in an attempt to force the govenrment's hands ..... saying they now want time so they can go to Ottawa!


I'm sorry but I have no patience with this guy, or his wife!

Except that the wife and 10 (soon to be 11) kids will remain in Canada, and guess who will get to support them?!

Im thinking that maybe this women needs some sort of pysological assesment if she only has kids because she likes to feel pregnant,,

clairejo..sending you a hug,,

Liz,,how are ya love?

I won't comment on the moral rights and wrongs of their situation but I will comment on the replies regarding his back problem.

Unless you have arthritis in your back you will not understand the problems, the pain and what can and can't be done so to criticise him for being able to play with children and hold them but not work is unfair. He is also very young to have such a chronic and at times disabling condition.

I would far rather see 8 children brought into a family supported by benefits that are loved, cared for and wanted than see those in other families who are not loved and cared for or who are abused in some way but are part of 'the normal' family.

Jacky

I have chronic pain 24/7 and cannot play with my grandson. If his pain is soooo bad, how can he play with his children, I cannot even bend over, let alone get on the ground.

So Yess I do Understand and very well.

Gail

DISGUSTING! Obviously the father's bad back doesn't stop him from procreating.

I totally agree it is everyones right to have as many children as they like, BUT so long as they go to work and support them, otherwise No it is not their right. So I say to these parents GET OFF YOUR BACKSIDES AND STOP SPONGING OFF THE REST OF US. PARASITES!!

Ooh now I feel better! lol

Lainey

"We only take what we're entitled to ..........” (Taken from an earlier posting.)

Are you sure they are not MPs?

I think this family may well repay much more than they are taking.

Those children are being brought up in a stable,loving family unit with support from the extended family.They probably won't cost much in police resources.No doubt they are also getting much more interest and attention from their parents than many children do.

That A level is extremely admirable.She evidently means to do the job of child rearing well to take a A level course in it and to gain an A grade as well shows dedication.

The state is spending about four hundred pounds a week on my dad and me and we are not likely to be putting much back into the kitty so all those children being shown the example of their mother buckling down to study and work when she could might well produce a formidable group of little grafters who will pay back in spades.

Sharron,

Have to disagree I am afraid.

I had a long discussion with a police officer about families like this and with his knowledge (he didn't reveal names BTW) he insists that it's a self perpetuating scenario.

Children of young mothers usually have children very young themselves and the ethos of not working seems to be passed on also.

Sue x

Sharon,

I like your style.

I suppose as someone who had 4 children by 3 different fathers by the time I was 24 I cant really comment. But I have taken to heart some of the comments made. I went on to have 2 other children (the 5th when I was 26) with my now hubby (biological Dad of no 4 and adoptive dad of no3). Unfortunately the men I chose were narcisistic and although they promised to protect me they didnt.

I didnt work until after no5. So yes claimed benefits and got a council house.

As for being a perpetuating scenario, I think not and refer back to Sharons comments.

My eldest 2 are in Uni, no2 went at only just 17. My 3rd is doing 'A' level (equivalent) and my 4th is just sitting her GCSE (equivalent).

I dont know the circumstances of this particular family, they may be involved in community work but the papers love a negative slant.

I used to go up to the school with my kids and be 'judged', no one knew about my involvement in community works.

I am sure my ancestors didnt think there would be someone quite so 'naughty' as me amongst their decendants. BTW I am now doing my degree!

'There but for the grace of God'

It is that A grade A level that swung it for me.You don't get one of those without putting in a lot of effort,and having the right support.

She is not the young mother who churns out children by passing friends to keep from working.She seems to be taking the job seriously.He sounds like more of an enabler than a doer and if he can do that for those children.like he has for her,then there is hope for them all.

I've just been to visit a youngish couple who have 7 children. I'm disgusted that the mother who has cancer now has to have her husband home to care for her - what a drain on the tax payer. How dare she be sick, how dare her husband stay home to care for her and the children and how dare he expect to get a carers' pension. The children are going to grow up to be real bad 'uns I should think.

And I've heard people who frequent this board complain about people on Chat.

S

I read all the thread with great interest and was boiling at the same time , it makes me so mad , to think that both my husband and i have worked so hard like many people on this site and when he was made redundant in Sepember last year we had to wait 13 weeks for some money we used every bit of money we had luckly we had just paid our morgae we had to fight for his redundancy we were told that because we had no children we were not a priroity i dont work due to the job i did as i have ostioprosis in my back so i am on a benifit ,and at the time that is all we had to live on and have also just become a senior citizan plus because i was so stupid to have a private pension i have to pay tax ,
We even thought of selling the house something we had worked so hard to get , when i read of the ammounts people like this are getting from the system , a young relation of ours was even taught how to fill forms in to claim benifit , oh dear i would go on forever so i have said my peice
Love to you all Margaret nice to be on here again