Family With 18 Children

[arjay]

I have just read that the parents of 18 children do not claim child benefit.
How much would they receive per week if they did claim it?

[New Judge]

It cannot be too difficult as they seem to have managed it without too much trouble. The clever people do NOT knock out a child a year.

[Mamyalynne]

I have seen a few programmes about this particular family, they are a joy yo watch.

Re the Child Benefit, if it did not exist - would that have changed how many children they had? I have no clue.

[Mamyalynne]

^ to watch

[B00]

I don't think anyone would have a child based purely on whether they'd get the child benefit for them or not.

I can assure you that Mini Boo costs me way more than the £20.00!

[Mamyalynne]

They sure do.

[ummmm]

They do appear to be a lovely family.

[craft1948]

Nicola Horlick must be thick then (for an investment banker)

[ummmm]

How many children can someone have without being considered thick?

[New Judge]

Any more than two makes them irresponsible. Fewer than that would be more ideal. It doesn't make the parents thick, just irresponsible.

With all the emphasis today on "saving the planet" (much of which is utter tosh) rarely is anything heard about excessive population growth. Since this is the greatest threat to the future well being of mankind (and is in fact the cause of many of the problems already apparent) I wonder why that is.

[ummmm]

I can't say I agree.

[Mamyalynne]

Nor do I - this family and a few others are unusual but to call people with more than two children (like my eldest daughter) irresponsible without any knowledge is wholly unjustified.

[ummmm]

Same....I have 3.

[tamborine]

Producing those kids make up for the career, tax paying, horsey, barren bunch of 8 round here.

[New Judge]

No “knowledge” is needed to justify my stance, mamy.

The world needs, at best, a stable population but far more preferably, a managed decline. Many measures are in place to stop the consumption and burning of various things. Some of these measures are so ridiculously ineffective as to be laughable. Yet it is people that consume and burn things but no thought is given to the outrageous population growth that is currently being experienced (global population has trebled in the last fifty years). I cannot use an incandescent light bulb. Apparently they cause so much damage that it has been necessary to make their import and sale in Europe illegal. So perhaps I could ask this: what will cause the greater lasting damage to planet Earth – me burning a few 60w light bulbs or this couple having eighteen (and counting, apparently) children ?

So I stand by my stance. Couples having more than two children are introducing a threat to the planet – far more so than incandescent light bulbs. The greater the number of children the more profound the threat. Of course there will be occasions involving multiple births where more than two children are born to a couple. But generally there is no need for any couple to have more than two children (and I include in that couples who have a second or subsequent relationship and “need” more children). That’s the way to “save the planet”, not fannying about with light bulbs