22 Kids and Counting

Just realised the first episode was filmed in the summer and they were struggling with lockdown then. I can't imagine what it has been like Dec20-Feb21 when the weather has been awful and they are stuck indoors more than before. They are trying to home-school 9 children with another 4 pre-school children around. I think we are all struggling and feeling low by now, so their situation must be much worse!

I first saw this family a few years ago on a programme called.. 15 Kids and counting. There were other like minded families on the programme at the time with large amounts of children and the show progressed from there to be a regular one with various updates on Channel 4. From what I gathered from the programmes of the Radford family is that both of them were adopted as babies . Possibly this has something to do with them having a very large family of their own as no other blood relatives. On one of the past programmes it showed several of the children being Christened together and both sets of their adoptive parents were there supporting them and happy to speak to the cameras.
I was a bit surprised on the latest episode last week that they had to close the bakery because of the Coronavirus as under normal circumstances they not only have their shop but deliver locally and nationally with their speciality pies.
The difference to having lots of children nowadays is personal choice unlike decades ago when contraception was virtual unknown. If they choose to show their life/lifestyle on TV again their choice. It's our choice if we want to watch it or not.

They seem like a nice family. The kids are clean, well fed and cared for. I find it all a bit odd that anybody would want 22 kids and possibly more but as others have said they have become a brand. The older kids have obviously got the IT skills to set them up as influencers. I believe one daughter with a young baby is doing likewise. An easy way to make money with little education or skills other than child rearing.
But, they’re not harming anyone are they?

When I was expecting my 4th (the last one) several people assumed we were Catholic and one person "joked" some people don't know when to stop . Basically, we were a talking point.
I watched the Radfords and was pleasantly surprised at how well they managed and how happy they all seemed. The eldest DD has already started a family of her own so the children weren't put off at all!
The background seems to be that both parents had lonely childhoods (in homes?) and wanted to have a big family themselves. Have they stopped now?

Day to day life looked very much like a Children's Home except I hope the poor mother isn't doing all the housework herself.

Did the programmes initially start with "16 Kids and Counting" when they first started filming ?

FannyCornforth

I didn't think that you could start a thread about the Radfords on MN anymore, same as MMcC and H&M.

There's a thread about them on MN asking why the original thread has been deleted.

Bit like here really

No thanks far too many children and think of the noise in the house. How does she remember all the names ?

Isn’t she 45?
Doubt they’ll be anymore.

I watched the programme open mouthed, although I had seen them on tv before. The Radfords appear to have become a brand, a business. Obviously, the pie making company is not their only source of income - they would never survive on that. Is it a bigger business than the programme portrays, I wonder? The tv rights must make an enormous contribution. 22 children is far too many in this day and age. We are over-populated and this has huge environmental consequences. Have they never heard of contraception? How much more child-bearing can Sue’s body take? Thank goodness most families stick to 2, 3 or 4 children nowadays. I must say, though, that the children all appear to be happy, well loved and well cared for, but they can’t get much individual attention. I think the Radfords receive so much attention from we viewers because it’s so unusual to have a family of this size nowadays, but, sorry to say, I can’t help thinking they are rather irresponsible. It’s not my business to say that, but that’s how I feel. Will they produce more children - I wouldn’t be at all surprised if we’re watching 23 Kids and Counting this time next year.

This lady became pregnant at 13, which is really not acceptable - she was just a child.

I worked as a social worker in a maternity hospital in the 70s and anecdotally there did seem to be a preponderance of girls who had been adopted amongst the young single mothers. I often used to wonder if this stemmed from a powerful atavistic desire to create blood relatives.

Their income clearly stems from the children now, as the media interest funds their lifestyle - certainly not the pie factory! They have a huge financial incentive to continue reproducing. But I do hope they stop now.

I wish they would be upfront about their sources of income, instead of playing this silly game with the viewers. The trailers for the programme had a sob story of how the pandemic was putting their business at risk; but did not say where the money for hot tubs, Australian holidays etc. stems from. I found the concept of spending £300+ on presents for one small child's birthday somewhat disturbing. Their house must be crammed with plastic tat!!! They are a single-handed environmental disaster!

The children do seem happy and well-adjusted, but we only see selected snapshots of their family life and I assume that there is a fair bit of mayhem off camera.

They say their children are loved and that does seem to come across, so that is a huge plus. I am less worried about the fact that individual attention must be at a premium than I am about the media-fed reproduction.

I didn't think that you could start a thread about the Radfords on MN anymore, same as MMcC and H&M.

They are jealously guarded by the TV companies. Don't know why they've gone over to Channel 5 from Channel 4 but any mention of the unmentionable will bring on a threat of litigation.

This thread is still going but Mumsnet have already had one closed down.

Hetty I find that really surprising, even a bit shocking. What was said to you, if you don't mind me asking?

watermeadow, I was also criticised, sometimes, for having four children. I'd reply that, as my brother had none, it worked out just fine!

Chestnut all that 'stuff' you mention will be freebies.
I know that Sue Radford gets an awful lot of free home ware and baby ware to plug on her social media accounts. That's where all the money is coming from, not pies.
Hence the need for more babies to keep the interest going. Not so wholesome after all really.

Just finished watching the first episode and was surprised at how wealthy they seem. Apart from the colossal cost of bringing up all those children they gave their garden a complete makeover, including new garden furniture and a big hot tub, and for the house a robot vacuum cleaner. They had also planned to take the kids on a holiday to Australia! They do not seem to be short of a bob or two, so I can only assume they are being substantially well paid for their TV appearances.

I keep thinking what life will be like when they become grandparents to far more than the one or two they have now.

I had three children and have seven grandchildren. The Radfords could end up with at least 45!

How on earth are they going to remember all the birthdays??

At least the Radford children won’t have suffered from helicopter parenting, one of the burdens some children have to put up with nowadays.

No idea and no interest, I'm afraid.

They opened the can of worms and must take the rough with the smooth missadventure they didn’t have to tell the world

Any ideas how much they get paid for this stuff ?

Fair point, bluebelle.
I'm not sure they're happy to have the state of her pelvic floor pondered on, their mental health, the fact that their children are pitied, and so on.
Par for the course, though, as you pointed out.

I doubt very much whether two people would be able to produce enough pies to supply an internet business and make enough profit to provide for such a large family.

Noel states on their website:

My job is to ensure the smooth running of the business and future developments such as creating new pie recipes.

That means they have staff so why not show the growth of the business in a truthful way? It would be more of a credit to them.

I’m amazed by her more than anything - 22 children, one born well into her 40’s, & she actually looks better than I did after having just 3 kids.
Families of 17 or 18 weren’t that unusual where my parents came from in Ireland back in the day.
Families of 12 were normal.
My mother was one of 12 & not one of them went on to have more than 6 children themselves.
I often wonder if women back then actually wanted a very large family - I very much doubt it.

Bit of a contradiction here misadventure
As long as they're happy, it really has nothing to do with anybody else
They have made a tv programme about themselves to court interest and money presumably so isn’t your sentence the complete opposite of what THEY want

Just looked it up, it was 2013, Peter Costello the then treasurer so not that long ago.