Maddie Shawcroft, 31, and her husband Patrick, 33, never planned to have a big family. Now, they parent to seven kids.
Maddie had her first child when she was 18, called Riley, now 13, from a previous relationship. But after Riley’s arrival, Maddie felt it was her calling to have more children. She subsequently went on to have Daxon, seven, Elliana, six, Oliver, five, Atticus, three, Juniper, two, and two-month-old Rosalyn with Patrick. Maddie and Patrick met at church in 2012. While Patrick initially wanted an even bigger family, he eventually changed his mind.
She said :” We just get ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ really easily . Only one time without protection , and we’re ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ.” The couple has decided to stay as a family of nine, and Maddie has had her ᴛᴜʙᴇs ᴛɪᴇᴅ. She added :” I ᴄᴀɴ’ᴛ have any more kids now, but I do feel ᴀ ʟᴏss with that. I ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ wanted a big family. I ᴅɪᴅɴ’ᴛ want more than three, but I felt like I was born to have more after the first. Something was telling me to have more. When me and Patrick got married, he wanted six, but after the first, he ᴅɪᴅɴ’ᴛ want anymore because he realised how ʜᴀʀᴅ it is.”
Never theless, Maddie and Patrick feel blessed with their kids and embrace the daily mayhem. Maddie joked :” It’s chaotic in my house . My kids are best friends and ᴡᴏʀsᴛ ᴇɴᴇᴍɪᴇs. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s really ʜᴀʀᴅ to get the comments but how many kids we have is a ᴘᴇʀsᴏɴᴀʟ ᴄʜᴏɪᴄᴇ . I ᴄᴀɴ’ᴛ imagine life without my kids because I love them so much.” Thankfully, Maddie do get a few nice comments with people calling her super ᴍᴜᴍ .
Maddie and husband Patrick spend £250 per week on food for their family and hand down clothing from child to child as they get older. When embarking on day trips and holidays, the family has a buddy system to make sure they stick together. However, of people’s reactions to seeing the family out together. She said:” A lot of the time, we get ᴊᴜᴅɢᴇᴍᴇɴᴛᴀʟ looks from people , and people make ɴᴇɢᴀᴛɪᴠᴇ coments which does ᴀɴɴᴏʏ me. People always ᴘᴏɪɴᴛ at the kids and ask if I know how that happens, and I say I do know and I must like it. If they want an ᴀᴡᴋᴡᴀʀᴅ ᴄᴏɴᴠᴇʀsᴀᴛɪᴏɴ, I’ll give them one. Sᴛʀᴀɴɢᴇʀs also ask if we have a TV and if all the kids are ours. It gets Fʀᴜsᴛʀᴀᴛɪɴɢ, ᴇsᴘᴇᴄɪᴀʟʟʏ if I’m having a ʙᴀᴅ day.”
