Real life
Life changed dramatically for Nic Davies when her family quadrupled overnight
When single mother Nic Davies’ children were 20 and 16, she believed she was finally getting her freedom back – but just a year after starting a relationship with her now-husband Adrian, she suddenly became a full-time stepmum to eight children.
‘The changes – emotional, mental and physical – were incredible and, at times, extremely hard,’ the 49-year-old from Lancashire, admits. ‘But I wouldn’t change my supersize family for the world.’
Nic was introduced to fellow single parent Adrian, now 56, through a mutual friend in late 2012. They started spending time together in a wider group, but as the months passed, their friendship developed.
‘I always knew that he had eight children and that he hadn’t been broken up from their mum for long. That’s probably why we remained friends at first,’ Nic explains. ‘As a mum myself, I realise children always come first and questioned whether he’d have room for me in his life. But I felt so content with him and we got on so well, it became impossible to deny our feelings.’
The two started a relationship in July 2013 and, after a few months, Nic started meeting Adrian’s children. ‘We kept it very informal, and at first, Adrian described me as his friend,’ Nic says. ‘They were lovely children and we got on really well.’
By December that year, Adrian had moved in with Nic and her son, then 16, and they saw his children during weekends and school holidays. But in June 2014, Adrian’s ex-partner passed away suddenly – and that same day, the five youngest children, aged between two and 10, moved in with them permanently.
Overnight, their household went from a modest three to a staggering eight.
‘There was no question they’d come to live with us – they needed their daddy. It was a devastating time,’ Nic remembers. ‘They had different understandings of death and we had to deal with their grief separately.’ From explaining to the youngest that their mummy was living in the stars, to arranging counselling for the older ones, Nic and Adrian did everything they could to help. Although Nic didn’t know Adrian’s ex-wife, that didn’t stop her encouraging the children to talk about her, sharing happy memories, as well as their pain that she was gone.
Along with the emotional turmoil, came the physical toll that such a large family entails. ‘I can’t describe how much laundry we had – or how full the shopping trolley became!’ Nic exclaims. ‘And while I lived in a five-bedroom house with space for everyone, one bathroom certainly wasn’t enough.’
It was su
