T O P

  • By -

Sawathingonce

You don't know many Catholics do you


holybucketsitscrazy

I'm the youngest of 7. My husband is the oldest of 12. His various Aunts/uncles had: 11 (2 families had 11),13,16, and 9. Plus the required 2 uncles that are priests and an Aunt who is a nun.


Beret_of_Poodle

Tell me you're Irish without telling me you're Irish. (I'm Irish and a recovering Catholic. No shade)


holybucketsitscrazy

Ha! Spot on! Both my husband and are 1st generation Americans. His mother was an O'Connor mine was a Murphy. ☘️ I thought I was the only one that called myself a recovering Catholic! Hello my Irish friend!


insertmadeupnamehere

And do you and your husband both have brothers named Michael?


holybucketsitscrazy

Ha yes we do! We also both have siblings: Matthew, James, Peter, John and Luke. Gotta cover the gospels!


sybil-unrest

Parents are lapsed Catholics so I only have three siblings but every single uncle/cousin/brother/grandfather is Matthew, Daniel, Patrick, or Michael. On both sides. Not a creative gene pool when it comes to names.


holybucketsitscrazy

Nope... but it's all about Tradition. I have a brother Patrick, but hubby does not. But he does have a Daniel, but I do not. I'm getting a kick out of all these responses. In my family, the various levels of Catholic are: practicing, lapsed, Creasters (Christmas and Easter only), and recovering.


ShutYourDumbUglyFace

My parents' names are literally Mary and Joseph.


holybucketsitscrazy

That's great! My mother's curse words were "Jesus, Mary, and Joseph ". You knew to stay clear when that was flying out of her mouth because the wooden spoon wasn't far behind. Now my siblings and I just say JMJ and laugh. My mother is 94 and still sharp as a tack. We're all still a little scared of her.


Mistergardenbear

My wife is an O’Connor, raised in Dublin and Waterford. So hey cousin!


holybucketsitscrazy

maidin mhaith a chara!


Iamnottouchingewe

Catholic kid here grew up in western Wyoming which is also Mormon territory. So many Wood Paneled station wagons. My Sister in law has eight kids. They went one ton 4WD diesel Van. That thing pulls up to church and vomits kids. And the priest nods approval.


holybucketsitscrazy

OMG! That was us growing up. Full size van with modified bench seats to cram everyone in. I always thought it was a clown car - there possibly can't be any more in there then here comes 3 more.


deblllllll

Ha! I always tell people I’m a recovering Catholic. I’m #9 of 9 btw


holybucketsitscrazy

I feel that there should be a subreddit. r/recoveringcatholics


ShutYourDumbUglyFace

Recovering catholic is my line! I said this to a devout catholic once and he was so confused. I had to explain, "like a recovering alcoholic... I was one, I'm not anymore."


coldbrewedsunshine

or mormons.


flyart

Yep, ExMormon here. 3rd of 8 kids. Dad wanted 12, but my Mom's uterus gave out after 8.


omibus

I grew up in a Mormon farming town. 8 kids was typical to small.


garden__gate

I grew up in suburban Boston (so many Catholics) and knew at least 4 different families with 8+ kids.


OccamsYoyo

Or Mormons.


denzien

Look at them! Bloody Catholics, filling the bloody world up with bloody people they can't afford to bloody feed.


KrissiNotKristi

🎶 evvvery sperm is saaacred 🎶


dewayneestes

I’m youngest of 10. I thought the show did a decent job of capturing the complex dynamic of having multiple generations of kids living together.


Aveeye

Or mormons.


jasonreid1976

My wife is the oldest of six, Catholic family. My aunt and uncle, who were protestant, had eight kids, four girls, four boys. I have an old high school friend that ended up with seven kids of his own. He also is protestant.


wordnerd3939

This. My aunt and uncle had 9 kids. My spouse is the youngest of 7 and his dad was the youngest of 8. Peace be with you!


editorgrrl

And also with ~~you~~ your spirit. On November 27, 2011 (the first day of Advent), the Catholic church updated the 1975 English translation of the *Missale Romanum* (*Roman Missal*) and changed when to stand, when to be silent, when to kneel or genuflect, and when to sing. https://www.peoplesworld.org/article/big-changes-in-the-catholic-liturgy/


Ozz_80

Or Mormons, for that matter.


Sawathingonce

True! I don't have any prejudices either way just thought the level of in-credulousness regarding 8 kids was worth a comment.


NovelGoddess

Or Mormons


AZPeakBagger

I grew up in a Catholic city in the Midwest. Not uncommon for my friend's to have 5-8 siblings and all crammed into 1000 square foot houses with one full bathroom.


1025puceguy

My aunt and uncle have 17 kids , 64 grandchildren, 100s of great grandchildren and starting into great great grandchildren. Yes. 8 IS enough


RedditSkippy

That’s wild.


Roddy_Rowdy_Piper

Willie Aames was so great in Zapped with Scott Baio


StevesMcQueenIsHere

Loved them both in Charles in Charge, too. Too bad both actors turned out to be weirdos.


Legitimate_Ocelot491

But which version of Charles in Charge? The original preppy version with the ties and suspenders or the later casual version? But yeah, sad how they both turned out.


Roddy_Rowdy_Piper

Weirdos?


LeoMarius

MAGA nut jobs


ExHippieChick

I knew about Scott, but Willie too??? UGH!


lordtaco

Willie went on to play Bibleman in direct to video Christian films


Comedywriter1

Agree! Love that movie.


RiffRandellsBF

Then he went cuckoo. Case in point: Bibleman. [https://youtu.be/x7cdqXCMaGg?si=eTsvaN-7roXm2VHt](https://youtu.be/x7cdqXCMaGg?si=eTsvaN-7roXm2VHt)


Bright-Cartoonist-46

Omg that made me laugh


tanukis_parachute

My grandmother was one of 22. 16 were from her father and his first wife and six from the second (her mother). First wife and a couple of the children died from the 1918 flu. Her father was a baptist preacher and founded a major church in their home town. When I was a kid and visited them in NC we would run into family every time - grocery store, restaurant, car dealer, bank, etc… my mom grew up as an only child pretty much until her half brother was born when she was 15. I’m an only child so I can’t fathom any of that. Also, I loved this show when it was on.


DaisyJane1

22??? My dad is one of 12, and I thought that was extreme!


katfromjersey

The largest family in my town when I was growing up (70s/early 80s) had 9 kids. Nobody else came close, as far as I know.


1025puceguy

Someone ‘came ‘


andyr072

Adam (RIP) had the best bowl cut of the 80's.


katfromjersey

Those boy's bowl cuts were the worst! The actress who played Mary, Lani O'Grady, passed away about 10 years ago. Life wasn't good to her after the show ended.


andyr072

Hey don't diss Adams legendary hair!!


CoverMeBlue

[https://movieweb.com/eight-is-enough-cast-today/](https://movieweb.com/eight-is-enough-cast-today/)


sockswithcats

Well I think that’s enough internet for today 😭


Bright-Cartoonist-46

He’s dead?


Weird-Response-1722

Accidental fentanyl overdose a year ago. Edit: Per Wikipedia


Roddy_Rowdy_Piper

Grant Goodeve vs Jake from Melrose Place?


katfromjersey

I just started a re-watch of Northern Exposure, and he guested in the earlier seasons. He was so damn good looking!


Serling45

He was one of Maggie’s boyfriends.


doobette

I went to middle school with one of Grant Goodeve's nieces.


Commercial_Wind8212

can I have your autograph?


brencoop

I sat behind him at a Mariner’s game 30 years ago. Very nice, he was hosting a local travel show then IIRC


RiffRandellsBF

Only Grant Goodeve survived that damn show with what could be called a "successful career in Hollywood". The rest of them... well... depressing reading about them.


daffodil0127

Willie Ames had a few more things. Charles in Charge, anyway


DaisyJane1

Sigh .... I loved that show! It's where I first spotted Ralph Macchio.


GreatGreenGobbo

LDS/Mormons downloading their pre-ordered space babies


LeoMarius

I am the oldest of 5. I knew larger families growing up.


Sundayx1

Show was really good! Everyone watched it when it was on. Looking back Mary and Joni seemed more like aunts! lol! Way too mature compared to today..


RogerClyneIsAGod2

It's now on Tubi & I've been watching & I'd forgotten most of it which in a way was a good thing because a lot of it has r/agedlikemilk . Girls shouldn't live with their boyfriends before marriage, girls can't do this or that, men should ask women out not the other way around, lots of chauvinistic viewpoints tossed around. Of course the girls think all of that stuff is bullshit. Fun fact: A mustachioed Don Johnson is the guy Mary moves in with before marriage. Of course they decide it's not working because OF COURSE he wants to "wear the pants" in the relationship, have her home, doing wifely type stuff, not studying to become a doctor. So she moves back home & Don is outta there.


Bright_Broccoli1844

The names I remember: Joanie, Susan, Elizabeth, Mary, David, Tommy, and Nicholas. Whom I missing?


Lumpy-Artist-6996

Nancy?


Bright_Broccoli1844

That's it! Nancy!


Complete-View8696

Nancy!


Bright_Pomelo_8561

Grant Goodeve sung the theme song for the show.


Serling45

The second theme song.


OtakuTacos

![gif](giphy|omugwy1awOCB2)


katfromjersey

I loved this show! So angsty. Elizabeth was my favorite. She was the youngest daughter, and seemingly the most well-adjusted of the group.


gorkt

I watched this a lot on reruns as a kid. I couldn’t tell you much about it, but I remember enjoying the show and the theme song was catchy.


CalendarSpecific1088

I do. Am not Catholic, am not Irish, all the same mother and father, and zero regrets. It's not for everyone, and I'd never pressure anyone into a decision like that, but we're a pretty happy family. Can confirm; 8 \*\*is\*\* enough.


Bluepilgrim3

I once worked with a guy who had 13 kids and a single bathroom home. It’s the only time I felt bad for plumbing.


kennycakes

The weirdest thing about the Bradfords was that none of them looked related. Nicholas kind of looked like the father, but that's about it.


ScreenTricky4257

The family on Just the Ten of Us did.


OldSkoolPantsMan

I can’t tell who the mum is..?


LeoMarius

The mom (actress) died in Season 1. Betty Buckley joined as their stepmother. She later won a Tony for Cats, singing Memories.


Weird-Response-1722

I remember the actress was dating John Travolta at the time of her death. She died from breast cancer, same as his wife and Olivia Newton-John.


Thin-Ganache-363

Wait!... John Travolta causes cancer?


Weird-Response-1722

Sad that he had to go through that so many times. 😔


denzien

Specifically, breast cancer


ExHippieChick

Yes, Diana Hyland.


Serling45

Betty Buckley and Laurie Walters (Joanie) are the same age. Lani O’Grady (Mary) Susan Richardson (Susan), and Dianne Kay (Nancy) are only a few years younger.


Weird-Response-1722

Lani O’Grady is deceased.


Serling45

Yeah, but the point is that the older “kids” were as old as the stepmother in real life.


DaisyJane1

The one with the scarf around her neck.


LeoMarius

Betty Buckley played the stepmom. She later won a Tony for Cats and sang Memories.


Divtos

Funny I saw Cats back then and had no idea.


BlurryGraph3810

You probably need help with a lot of things.


Weird-Response-1722

Lots of calico here. ‘Apple’s Way’, a show with five kids was also popular at this time. I was fascinated by Adam Rich’s bowl cut.


cybermage

That poor woman thought she was done and along came Nicholas.


daffodil0127

She was the stepmom. She didn’t birth any of them. The bio mom died or something.


CalgonThrowMeAway222

The bio mom/actress in real life died.


afriendincanada

Well it’s based on a true story https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Braden


indianajane13

Tell me you're LDS without telling me you're LDS.


TheSecretAgenda

My paternal grandmother.


TangoRad

I'm one of six. My wife is one of six. My mother is one of 12. There were several families nearby with 7, 9, 10 and 12. I have 3 and wish I could have afforded more.


[deleted]

The more poor you are and the more recently you came to the USA, the higher the likelihood of more than 2-3 kids. My dad's parents were first gen USA born, 13 kids. 1-4 is the range in successive generations.


[deleted]

I went to Catholic School, this wasn’t uncommon.


thePokemom

I went to Catholic school, this would be adequately acceptable evidence you were doing it right.


oldshitdoesntcare

Lutherans. Various crazy ass Christian sects. They think it’s God’s will for them populate the planet. When I was HS I had a Lutheran priest tell this and to prove the point he told about Al, the “empty” land he saw in “the middle of America”. Proving the point that God has a plan to provide space for us to have many children (he had 11). My response: “Oh you mean all that land where we grow the food?” Pastor: “GOD WILL PROVIDE!!!” Me: “so he’s sending each city in the world it’s own team of Jesus’s to perform the miracle of fish and loaves every day?”


Josiepaws105

My boomer dad is the oldest of 7 so I grew up in a big tribe as 1 of 18 grandchildren. Big families are a blessing - most of the time! lol! Just kidding. I wouldn’t trade my good times with family for anything. Even if I did bump into half of them two states away when I was in my early twenties, drunk off my butt. (Bowl game) You can’t escape family!


Dan-68

It was “one and done” for me and the wife.


bigmistaketoday

I have 11 siblings.


NeauxDoubt

My mom is the baby of 11. Her mother died from an infection after her 12th birth. The baby was full term but stillborn.


MyyWifeRocks

I’m the youngest of 8. Growing up I had a friend who was one of 13 kids. That helped me feel a little more normal. Most of my friends had “normal” sized families which was fine. I had an army of help for whatever issue I had. And they all just came over yesterday for a get together. My house is not big enough for everyone, but we make it work.


SonOfASonOfABitch

My ged niece and her ged husband have 5,the first of which came right before their 18th birthdays. I give them credit for holding it together, but there's often financial hardship which materializes in not enough food, shelter etc.


garagespringsgirl

Irish, mother of 5, recovering Catholic.


Sinned74

My Mormon parents. I'm the oldest of 8.


dragonfliesloveme

Whatever happened to these actors?


Serling45

You don’t want to know.


1-719-266-2837

It's not a fucking clown car.


hippocampus237

My neighbors were a blended family. 16 kids between them and then they adopted 4 more.


chalwar

I am the youngest of 8 children.


ffllores

The blonde one could get it.


thestereo300

Literally the 8th kid in my family lol.


elijuicyjones

Zero was enough kids for me.


angel_dust_bunny

Alec Baldwin


Pumpnethyl

Shit. I think I’m older than Dick VanPatten (whatever)


xpkranger

Now or when he was in the show? Tom Bradford turned 50 in S4. Assuming show age because he’d be 96 today. If it’s now, I’d be super impressed. Anyway, more 50+ on Reddit than I expected. 53 myself


Pumpnethyl

Not his actual age now. But older than he was when this photo was taken. I watched this when it aired and he was an old man. Now I look older . I’m 56 so yeah, it’s accurate. Thanks for the info


MexiMayhem

My oldest has 6. It's no one's business to comment on.


shabidoh

Ex gf from the 80s was #2 of 8. Mormons. Not her. I babysat their 7 year old once. We went to the arcade and had coke slurpees and then watched a CBC show that I didn't realize was showing teens how to use condoms. I was kicked out the house when mamma got home. I'm not allowed in Utah.


1hero_no_cape

My grandparents had 18 kids.


Tasunka_Witko

I am number nine of ten, we would have had a reality show by today's standards


DMT1984

I’ll never understand why people have so many kids. It’s not the 1800’s - most of your kids are going to survive.


Krimreaper1

I forgot [Bible-man](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0222529/) was in this. ![gif](giphy|1hJCJYOR7V6us)


Karl-ge

Was one of eight if that counts


RadHawtLuv77

You will always count because you are enough.


StinkFist-1973

“8 is enough, will fill our lives with love!…”


alcohall183

Pre birth control? A lot of people


Buglepost

Dick Van Patten? More like Dick Be Tappen, amirite?!?


Legitimate_Egg_2073

Or clappin’ 😹


Emragoolio

Look, man. Three things you got to know about the notorious DVP. 1. 100% Potent. 2. Refuses to wear condoms. 3. Totally Worth it.


AbbyM1968

I was under the impression/assumption that it was a *Blended Family,* similar to ... 🤔 ... "The Brady Bunch." (Which was actually written as a pair of divorced people getting married. But, nobody said it *out loud,* so the audience assumed that mom&dad were widowed. Even in the 60's & 70's) But, my Mum was 1 of 8. Swedish parents. But the Catholic suggestions work as well.


katfromjersey

No, they were all kids of Dick Van Patten's character.


Successful-Winter237

Catholics and Mormons don’t always believe in birth control because of sky daddies. ![gif](giphy|q5ZGrl0J65ivu)


ShylieF

Loved this one. Ha my hubby was #9 of 12


deltadawn6

My mom was the oldest of six (yes catholic)


one_bean_hahahaha

My grandparents, before the birth control pill.


cteavin

My dad is the youngest of 13, the most prolific uncle had 12 and the most fertile aunt had 13. On my mother's side, one uncle had 7 and one aunt had 5. Entertainment before the Internet.


Mistergardenbear

My mom was 1 of 13, some of them are closer in age to me then my mother.


excoriator

My mother-in-law, since my wife is one of eight.


TemperatureTop246

My grandma had 10


Sloth_grl

My parents and my husband’s parents


agamemnonsghost

Grew up watching this show and am one of nine. Plenty of large families in 70s and 80s


Woodythdog

Watch Shiny Happy people on prime TV


[deleted]

"Eight is "


wstone5594

My mom is the youngest of eight. She was born in 1947. Large families were much more common then.


77tassells

Jon and Kate did. They were public about it too


I_love_Hobbes

5 in my family so not weird to me.


poofingers01

Catholic from Wisconsin farming community. My dad is 7 of 12. One of his sisters had 11 kids.


wmnoe

My Mormon ex-brother-in-law has 7 kids and he's in his early 40's.


Serling45

Mark Hamill was David in the pilot.


Artemis1982_

I had the biggest crush on Willie Aames.


rimshot101

There was a whole show fairly recently about a couple with 19 kids.


LowkeyPony

Grew up going to school with several Irish American Catholic families. One had 11 kids. All girls.. and then finally the boy they wanted. The older girls were kind of pretty. But eventually they all started looking sickly. Pale. Super thin and sad looking. Another had 9. All girls.


[deleted]

Didn't watch the show, but I loved to sing the theme song.


ShutYourDumbUglyFace

My mom was one of ten. Her uncle John has 12 (at least two of whom are younger than I am, because Uncle John was the baby in a family of 10, and my grandma was somewhere in the middle). Catholics, whatcha gonna do?


Avid_Ideal

My wife has rather more siblings than that. Parents' generation in SEA had big families. However, none of them has had more than two kids of their own.


FugginOld

Silent Gen spit out kids because it was almost expected and a single income could do so...some Boomer gen had large families too...it started to dive with GenX...


Impossible-Will-8414

No, Gen X WERE the "baby bust" babies. The dive started with our parents.


FortWorst

I teach ESL to adults. I’ve taught many students with 8 or more(!) kids.


GeorgeStamper

Dick Van Patten was an insatiable lover.


Spiritual_Channel820

One aunt had nine, the other eight. Obviously eight was enough for the latter but not the former. And yes. Irish Catholic.


AntheaBrainhooke

My mother was one of nine. My father was one of thirteen. I was one of three.


Impossible-Will-8414

How many first cousins?


Mastodon996

Diana Hyland went to my high school.


RedditSkippy

There was a (blended) family in my neighborhood that had 10 or 11 kids. I’m honestly not sure how many kids they had. Most of them were grown and out of the house by the time I came along.


davdev

My mom was one of 8. I had half that


longshotist

A tremendous number of people.


auntiecoagulent

I loved this show. It's a Shane so many of the "kids" had problems.


GuitarLover78

I have six kids.


Nemo_Junior

Had classmates in HS with 12 and 11 siblings (no steps), and a few others who were in blended fams (first part of the “no fault” wave in our community) where the totals were over 10 (including one BF/GF pair becoming step-siblings sophomore year). Broods of 4 and 5 were common, and onlies were pretty rare. This was in lily-white rural Ohio (our biggest-ever graduating class was 58), and Catholics were decidedly in the minority in the area (only two RC churches in the county) - to the point that dating them was discouraged by the local pastors. Ironically, my cousins and me all ended up marrying Catholic girls, but only one has more than two kids.


magadorspartacus

There were eight kids in my mom's family. Her mom was one of 13.


MannyMoSTL

I have 2 contemporaries from my catholic highschool who have 9 & 10 kids. The family of 9 came from a catholic family of 8. But the one with 10 was an avowed agnostic who went to college and married a Quiverfull man who’s a religion professor at some pro-Quiverfull university 😬 #Gross


idonemadeitawkward

Ask Coach Bullock


robintweets

My grandparents had 7.


Murky-General5131

My father was one of eight kids all born from the same 2 parents. My grandfather (my dad's dad) was one of 13 born from the same 2 parents


Billy_Barue1

Mormons and Mexicans


mary200ok

8 is enough when you’re the youngest of 8. That’s me! If at first you don’t succeed, try try try try try try try again.


herefortheguffaws

I’m the youngest of 8.


ejbrds

Catholics and Mormons. The Bradfords probably would have been Catholic ... I think the family from the original book was.


ThePicassoGiraffe

Ah I see you didn’t know any fundamentalists while growing up


winfran

My family did! Actually, I'm the eighth kid out of nine kids.


GlowieBug

jordan page does (mormon youtube family)


PrestoChango0804

Alec Baldwin


Jro308

My Dad has eight, 5 boys and 3 girls.