When the Carrolls began their family, Lauren agreed on four children and Nathan on two.
So together they compromised and had five — all boys.
Crossing the threshold into the Carrolls’ quaint Kialla home, five perfectly lined-up school bags are placed neatly on allocated hooks.
This year marks the first and final year the five boys will attend the same primary school all at once — a novelty that hasn’t been seen at Kialla Central Primary School before.
The eldest of the boys, Joshua, has entered into his final year of primary school, followed by Isaac in Year 4, twins Josiah and Michael in Year 2 and Abel just starting his Foundation year.
“It probably wouldn’t be five boys at the one primary school too often, particularly a smaller school; there’s about 80 kids, so these guys make up almost seven per cent of the school,” Nathan said.
“The school has been really good to them, the teachers have been brilliant and gotten to know each of their individual differences, especially between Michael and Josiah.”
The Carrolls never expected to have such a full house — after having two children they ummed and aahed about having another.
The third pregnancy just happened to be twins, although both Nathan and Lauren weren’t shocked by the news.
“We sort of had a little inkling that we were bound to have them, so when we found out it wasn’t so much a surprise but more of a ‘we thought that would be the case’,” Lauren said.
“The twins have actually been the easiest, that’s why we’ve been able to have another one, they were like half a baby — they still are just so relaxed.”
And in response to what may be the most asked questions to the Carrolls, the family isn’t after an additional little girl.
“I’m glad they’re all boys, in a way I think it makes it easier,” Lauren said.
“Because there’s so many, they just entertain themselves.”
Life lessons are taught all the time in the Carroll house, but a particular value Lauren has learnt is put into practice every day.
“Getting all the kids in and out of cars, that is the biggest lesson in patience I have learnt,” she said with a laugh.
Five boys in the one house brings imagery of rough-housing, extreme decibels and general pandemonium, and while at times Lauren said this rings true, more often than not the five are relatively harmonious.
And while the boys all share similar looks, she said each had quite different but complementary personalities to one another.
Together they all share a brotherly bond amplified through a love of soccer, playing with their pup Hiccup and general shenanigans, or as the twins call it, “playing silly buggers”.
“It is very loud, there’s often balls flying around but thankfully we’ve had no broken bones just yet,” Lauren said.
Although the Carrolls do admit, noise isn’t always a bad signifier — as the sign in their home reads, ‘Silence is golden, but it is also suspicious’.
For Joshua, life as the ring leader has its advantages and disadvantages.
Between the course of experiencing a range of activities first, getting new clothes and no hand-me-downs, along with the power of being the eldest, he said his family position was a pretty decent gig.
Each brother has different highlights of being one of five, from having a lot of food on the table at meal times to always having enough for a five-a-side team, they all agree, at least most of the time, it’s pretty cool.
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