Keeping up with the
JONESES One family opens up about what life is really like under a roof with four daughters
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irth rates have plummeted, with the average family only having 1.7 children in 2019, according to the Office of National Statistics – the lowest since records began in 1938. Costs of childcare, worries for the environment and delaying
‘I DON’T MIND THE ODD ROW’ Mum, Trish, 50, says:
It’s a modern version of Little Women. Those girls didn’t have a family WhatsApp about who ate the last doughnut. Iseult was our first, so I think she had the most pressure. Alice is vocal and opinionated. Celeste has lots of empathy, and being third she’s got the freedom the older two didn’t but wasn’t babied like Darcy, who will soon be as tall as her sisters. They rarely disagree, unless it’s about clothes, but we try to let them sort it out themselves. The flip side is their bond. Alice had a tricky time with friends and Iseult helped her. They support each other, so I’ll take the odd row.
starting a family are just some reasons for this drop. But with less people having large families, those with children all the same sex are even rarer. Woman speaks to the Jones family about what it's like to have, not only four daughters, but four daughters between 12 and 18.
‘WE CAN BE A HANDFUL’ Alice, 17, says:
I like being second. Iseult is the one who had to do everything first, like exams, but I have some experience thanks to her and she can offer advice. Mum is definitely stricter with me and Darcy than Iseult and Celeste, but I think that’s maybe because I argue the point more. I love each of my sisters for different things. They do have their negative points, though, too. If I have children myself when I’m older, I definitely won’t have four. I know we can be a handful, especially when we were younger. I don’t know how Mum and Dad put up with us all!
‘I DEMANDED OUR PET DOG WAS MALE’ Dad, Michael, 48, says:
People commiserated with me when we found out Darcy was going to be our fourth daughter, but that irked me. It implied I’d be missing out on things, and nothing could be further from the truth. When we discussed getting a dog, I was adamant we have a male. He’s called Dave. Trish and I spend most of our lives as unpaid taxi drivers and I’ve done my share
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of picking them up from ex-boyfriends’ when there’s been a break-up. There are arguments about clothes. Though there are other little squabbles, there’s never been anything so bad we’ve had to intervene. I know they don’t find me funny but I’ll send them jokes even if it makes them roll their eyes. It’s a privilege having four daughters. I’ve learnt so much.
MEET THE FAMILY Trish Jones, 50, a counsellor, and husband Michael, 48, a lawyer, are mum and dad to Iseult, 18, Alice, 17, Celeste, 15, and 12-year-old Darcy, and live in St Albans, Herts.
