It saddens me to hear and read all of the comments surrounding the story about Rochelle Buchanan and her nine children being kicked out of home.

Buchanan and her children were given two weeks' notice to get out of the state house she and her family had been living in for 18 months, tenanted by her friend.

Ever since the story ran, judgmental comments have been flooding in - why doesn't she contact the children's father(s)? Why didn't she use contraception? Why doesn't she get educated and get a job?

Read more: Social housing provider orders solo mum with 9 kids to leave Tauranga state house by Monday

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Comments like this sicken me. Yeah sure, she may have made some bad life decisions - or maybe she made the best decisions for her and doesn't regret having a happy, loving family.

I come from a large family myself and, while things were rather tight growing up, I wouldn't trade any of my crazy siblings for all the money in the world.

If my father had lost his job, we would have been in huge financial trouble. My parents would have done anything to keep us safe and warm, even if that meant bunking down with a friend in an overcrowded three-bedroom house.

I count myself lucky this never happened to me. There but for the grace of God go I.

Life happens. Things change and we can't always predict it.

With hindsight, maybe Buchanan would have done things differently. Or maybe she would follow the exact same path knowing that even though she's doing it hard, she has been given nine beautiful children.

Regardless, judging her does nothing to fix the situation in front of us now.

Nine children, about to be homeless.

It's their future we should be concerned about, not their mother's past.