I’m a mum-of-10, trolls call me ‘basic’, ask if I know about contraception & say I should abandon the kids in Mexico
PEOPLE say parenting two-under-two is pretty hard, but what happens when you have ten kids in just 10 years?
While parents Cassanda and Jacob Morrise make it look easy, regularly sharing a glimpse into their bumper family on TikTok, it’s no easy feat according to the pair from Utah, USA.
So much so that Cassanda has a nap following the school run most days, and dinner can take up to an hour to make.
So who makes up their family of 12?
There’s Steven, aged 13, Christopher who’s 12, identical twins William and Ryan who are 10, fraternal twins Spencer and Max, aged 9, Thomas, 7, Henry who is 6, Lily who's 5, plus their youngest Peter, who’s 3.
The parents, aged 39 and 36, met in 2008, before tying the knot seven months later, admitting that being part of large families themselves was a key factor in their decision to have one of their own.
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Jacob, one of six, and Cassanda, one of eight, say that it was the camaraderie and the fact that there was always someone around that they wanted to offer their kids.
So they planned to have eight children of their own - however, both admit that they had a feeling ‘someone was missing’ until they brought their son Peter home.
And despite what people may think, the pair have never had a nanny or a childminder.
Now, speaking exclusively to Fabulous, the parents reveal just how they function as a family of 12 - and the difficulties of sharing their lives online.
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Since joining TikTok () earlier this year, the pair claim there’s been an influx of thanks from other parents for sharing the realities of parenting.
However, there’s also been an overwhelming amount of abuse from trolls too.
Jacob said: "There's a lot of really nice, 'Oh your family is so wonderful' all this stuff, but there's a lot of people that are just merciless.
"There's things like overpopulation... 'your names are all basic, boring people names'.
"We had somebody say half of our kids were autistic. Like you can tell after two seconds they're autistic?"
Cassanda added: "And don't we know what birth control is?
"And that we should drop them off to Mexico."
When quizzed on some of the comments that have affected her the most, Cassanda was quick to list some of the worst.
“There’s no way you can afford these kids - and there is no way you can give them all of the love and protection they need.”
But explaining how she’s come to terms with the negativity, Cassanda added: “I try to think what that person is going through because happy people don’t degrade people like this or spew hate.
Despite this, the pair are adamant that they will continue sharing aspects of their lives, adding: “Yeah, you can make money on this stuff, but we feel like we need to do this to shine light in the world that has got a lot of dark stuff going on all the time.”
So what is the reality of living with 10 kids, all between the ages of 13 and three?
Cassanda said: “So I usually wake up around 6am, but I don’t get up the kids until 7:15 am, so that’s my me-time.
“I like to go for a walk in the morning, just clear my head and be more present.
“And then I get the kids up and get them going.”
Jacob added: “Breakfast is usually simple, like cereal more often than not. We’re both super tired so it’s hard to do much of anything!”
He went on to share that Cassanda takes on the responsibility of school pick-up and drop-off, while Jacob runs his own product design company.
Cassanda continued: “I’ll take a nap during the day. We’ll have a quiet time with the kids that are home, they’ll get to watch a show or something while I take a nap.”
Then, once the kids are home from school, their attention turns to homework and chores - and to make sure no child gets bored, there’s a weekly rotation of jobs like keeping the living room and bathroom tidy.
While the kids are preoccupied with this, Cassanda makes a start on dinner.
And like most parents, meal-planning is one of the tougher jobs for the mum-of-ten, so the pair have come up with a few creative solutions including crepes or waffles.
Cassanda explained: "One day a week, we will always have breakfast because everybody loves it.
"So muffins, eggs, hash-browns, breakfast burritos."
The pair also revealed that they’re often quizzed on whether they can afford to feed and clothe their kids.
And while Jacob claimed that he runs his own product design company which provides the family’s income, they also would be lost with the generosity of their friends, family, and neighbours.
He said: “We, for a long time, have been the neighbourhood dumping ground for boys’ clothes.
“So most of the clothes that they have actually we didn’t buy.”
Cassanda chimed in: “We have some friends, some , some family members that will always pass down their clothes, and it’s so helpful.”
But what about those big occasions, like birthdays and Christmas?
Jacob explained: “Christmas is the biggest holiday for us but we don’t want it to be just a materialistic thing, so the kids usually get three presents.
“An educational, a spiritual, and a recreational present.
“And then we have stockings and here’s a bunch of random toys, candy, and stuff in there.”
He added: “There is a budget, we try not to spend more than £50 per kid really.”
Another popular question the pair often get is how they named their sons and daughter.
And despite having to find 10 unique names, Cassanda and Jacob say it was pretty easy, with each child being named after a close friend or family member.
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For example, their eldest Steven was named after Jacob’s good friend and Cassanda’s father, while William’s name was a tribute to Jacob’s dad and Cassanda’s great-grandpa.
Lily is the only one not to follow this pattern, with the pair revealing she is named after Lily Potter, a character from Harry Potter, of which Jacob is a big fan.