Homes The rustic farmhouse look

JONESES Keeping up with the

One family opens up about what life is really like under a roofwith four daughters

Birth rates have plummeted, with the average family only having 1.7 children in 2019, according to the Offi ce 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 fi rst, 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 fl ip 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 fi rst, like exams, but I have some experience thanks to her and she can off er advice. Mum is defi nitely 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 diff erent things. They do have their negative points, though, too.

If I have children myself when I’m older, I defi nitely 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!

ALICE

‘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 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 fi nd 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.

Real Life

CELESTE ‘IT’S HARD BEING THE OLDEST’

Iseult, 18, says: I used to hate being the oldest. I got the blame for everything. It’s changed as I’ve got older, though. Now I actually like being the oldest. I can vouch for them in a way they can’t for me.

I had a harder time, though. I had to do chores and I had a strict curfew, too.

While the younger ones sometimes turn to me for advice, I don’t have that.

I used to want one or two kids, but if I have my own when I’m older, four is a good number.

ISEULT ‘I SLIP UNDER THE RADAR’

Celeste, 15, says:

I’ve learned so much from

having two older sisters. They’ve

experienced everything I’ve been

through and are great with advice.

WORDS: CLARE O'REILLY © THE SUN/NEWS LICENSING. PHOTO: THE SUN/NEWS LICENSING ‘THERE ARE UPSIDES TO BEING THE YOUNGEST’ Darcy, 12, says: I get babied a lot – but then there are upsides to being the youngest, too. My sisters are brilliant for helping with homework. I’m closest to Alice – our hobbies are similar, like singing and drama. We sometimes get split up at dinner because we’re talking too much and not including everyone else. Whenever I have a performance, they all come to watch. I’ve got a good reputation with teachers at school because of them, too. They worked hard and did well, so teachers think I’m like them. Being third, I’ve managed to slip under the radar. Being third in a

family of four children is the best position. I’m not overlooked but

can get away with things because of where I sit.

I wouldn’t want to be Darcy. When the three of us leave home, all eyes will be on her and she’ll have all Mum and Dad’s attention.