Mom of 6 Faces Backlash After Telling Followers They Should ‘Absolutely Not’ Have 6 Kids

A mom influencer is sparking debate after candidly explaining why she believes people should “absolutely not” have six kids — even though she’s a mother of six herself.

Sharon Johnson, who shares motherhood content with nearly 350,000 Instagram followers, posted a video outlining why she wouldn’t recommend others follow her path.

“I’m a mother of six,” she begins. “And here are a few reasons why you absolutely should not have six kids.”

Her first reason? She’s “sick of stages.” Having already been through the baby and toddler years multiple times, she’s still stuck in them with her younger kids and hasn’t been able to fully enjoy the teen years with her older ones.

Another issue, she says, is that “nobody gets the best of me — not me, not my husband, not my kids,” which she connects to being “so f—— tired.”

Sharon also points to the financial reality of a large family. “Think about it: you go to the store, and your one kid wants an ice cream — okay, sure. But with six kids? That’s six ice creams. And that’s the least of the costs,” she explains, referencing bigger expenses like air travel and vacations.

She adds that keeping things fair across six children is mentally exhausting. “You need new rollerblades? Oh wait, what about the other five siblings? Or even, ‘You want 30 more minutes of tech time? Well, if you get it, then everyone gets it,’ and before you know it, it’s hours more.”

Despite the challenges, Sharon says her kids are “actually pretty fine” thanks to the constant companionship of siblings. “It’s chaotic and crazy, but it’s so much fun and they love each other so much.”

Still, she notes that she has little time for herself — and that parenting won’t end when her kids grow up. “They’ll be adults with bigger problems, babies for me to help care for, worries for me to help console and figure out. I’m a mother to six forever. I love them, and in our circumstances I wouldn’t have it any other way, but it would be nice if there were more of ‘me’ available in my life.”

The comments on her post reflected a wide range of reactions. One user wrote, “This post breaks my heart 💔 Children are a gift. It’s the most wild, crazy, beautiful, fulfilling life.” Another, a mother of eight, added, “I absolutely adore being a mom to all of them and they have the gift of each other! I really hope your kids never see this video.”

Others expressed empathy. “I relate to this so much and I ‘only’ have 4,” one commenter said. “It’s expensive and it’s a lot. The mental load of making sure everyone is okay and everything is ‘fair’ is exhausting.”

In a follow-up video, Sharon addressed her remarks, saying, “No one has even been able to be honest about what motherhood is. If we’re not saying anything, it’s just the most positive thing in the entire world… SHAME. My kids know it’s hard to have a big family. They know it’s hard on me. You think they don’t see it?”

She explained that her honesty is intentional: “If they choose this life, I want them to choose it knowing exactly what they’re choosing. I want them to know they can do hard things, that they can create a big, beautiful, amazing life from one they didn’t plan on. And I want them to know I’m a real person with real feelings, thoughts, struggles, and hurts — and that all of that matters.”

Earlier this year, Sharon and her husband Kerry spoke to PEOPLE about their decision to swap traditional gender roles after Kerry was laid off. Raised in a Mormon community where stay-at-home motherhood was the norm, Sharon wanted to show her children a different example. She pursued a career in social media, hoping to inspire them.

“The first time my kids heard my voice on my podcast, they all cheered and clapped, and I just sobbed,” she recalled. “I always wanted my kids to have examples of women around them who had careers and did something different than being stay-at-home moms.”

The role reversal, she says, lifted a huge weight. “It’s been enlightening for our marriage and our family. Even if we went back to how things were, this shift has been so beneficial. I feel like I understand him more, he understands me more, and we’re a better partnership because of it.”