Howdy Dammit said:

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I see I have a fellow Catholic on the GB! Hard to imagine 10, but wife and I do want a lot. Hoping we don't catch you, but never know when there isn't a goalie. God bless your family. Kids aren't nearly as expensive as people say.

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He could be Mormon.

I agree that kids don't have to be as expensive as most of us make them out to be and I'd imagine that there are even some efficiencies to be had with large numbers of children.

Growing up, my parents had two sets of two, ten years apart so there wasn't much to pass down or share. And the experience for the second two was significantly different.

No world travel for them but also, no living in single wides and double wides growing up as oilfield trash. No moving every 3 years. Instead, just living in a massive house in rural Waco and going to the same school for 12 years. I got out of there as quickly as I could.

I had to do diaper changing and bottle warming to help my mom out. It's not that big a deal. It's essentially just a chore like anything else.

But to your point about the kids 10-12 years apart, yes, they're not going to have much in common. Maybe they had some of the same teachers or have some of the same medical conditions.

But yeah, their music will be different, interests will be different. It's just the ones close in age who could be really close or, could also hate each other.

It is what it is.

For the OP, it was great at first.
My wife was the friskiest she'd been in years and I'd say was the most attractive she'd been.

Unfortunately, a series of bad events happened capped off by Covid lockdowns which saw our youngest return home for the last two semesters of college. Then living with us for the past 2 1/2 years after graduation because a studio apartment in LA costs $2,000/mo.

Youngest took a job in a different state and we moved to Texas so, I'm optimistic we can get back to the glorious empty nesting era of 2017-2019.

We're 5 years out give or take, but the years do seem to be going faster than they used to. I've been commuting from the back of Kingwood to various points since 2004, so I'll be through half a million miles of Houston freeways by the time I get there.

I guess it depends on what the job is doing at the time, but I'm about done with the suburb life (not that I'm looking forward to living in Houston proper apart from the shorter drive). I'm working and driving too many hours of the day to be involved with anything but the kids, so the area hasn't grown on me at all. Once the kids are done needing/wanting the continuity of schools/friends and/or move out on their own, I'm looking for an exit strategy that is palatable to Mrs. Chimp. I'm thinking about making the youngest reverse commute to her senior year of high school once I check the enrollment/residency requirement or fgure out a way to game that system.

I'm impressed by the folks with tons of kids; a great blessing.

We started young so we are now 51 and both kids totally off the payroll and done with college. We are having a fantastic time with it. More romance, more travel, more hobbies.

Aggie Football- season tix + one away game a year
Music travel- as Gen X folks we make it to every concert we can both locally and Gen X type events. Specifically this year going to Power Trip in October and The Sands in November.
Racing- I've taken up tracking my Corvette for fun and it is hella fun
Off Roading- just started off roading the wife's new Bronco which is hella fun
Martial Arts- started a self defense martial arts class 2 hours a week
Fostering dogs- fostering shelter dogs, wife has become very good at video editing and getting them adopted!

Philo B 93 said:

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Dad-O-Lot said:

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Had our first when we were still at A&M. We thought, "Great, we'll be empty nesters before we're 40"

34 years later and we've had 6 move out and 4 still at home. Our youngest is 9.

We may be empty nesters by the time we're 70.

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I have no problem with good people making more good kids. The world needs good people who are raised with good values. Sounds like you're doing it.

I have no idea how anyone can afford 10 kids unless there is a large amount of money available through family money, found money (oil discovered on property, lottery, etc.), inheritance, trust fund, or a monster salary from the dad. The wife, pregnant for 7.5 years of her 20s - late 30s would have a hard time with a career that could cover the cost.

Also, is there any personal time? Do you ever get to read a book or watch a movie?

Sounds like an interesting life. Its hard for me to imagine what it would be like.

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I have 6 and the wife stays home. The secret is getting debt free (except for the mortgage). You can easily maintain a great quality of life, vacations, all the rest.

However, my kids have jobs starting at 15-16 and have to pay for their car insurance, gasoline, and recreation stuff with friends. I do pay for after-school stuff like sports, retreats, etc.

It is getting harder to save as much as I used to with inflation going crazy.

I've been empty nesting since 2012 … when my second and last kid went to college. It's amazing in just about every possible way. Plus, there is an amazing amount of gratification with having two kids that regularly call to give me the heads-up on their lives and actually ask me about mine. And … yes … you do finally reach the age when you stop worrying about them. Life is great for them and for me.