Please, no rants on Catholicism here. I am including that detail just as it pertains to the facts:

My devout Catholic aunt & uncle have 14 children. The family was created in the late 40’s through mid 60’s. The kids were raised without any form of state aid and all have grown to be productive citizens.

Last year my elderly uncle told me he didn’t know if he could do it again (have 14 kids), but that was the Church’s teachings at the time. He had to work several jobs to raise the family, at a tremendous physical sacrifice. My aunt became physically worn out from too many pregnancies.

The kids DID NOT LIKE being in such a large family. They mostly say the parents had no time for them and they would never have such a large family. The older girls ended up being the nannies and housekeepers for the younger siblings. The older boys started working with their dad at a young age due to financial necessity. Some of the cousins harbor real resentments.

If octo-mom had bothered to research and talk to children from very large families, she would have quickly discerned that her selfish dream would turn into a nightmare for her children.