The Schumann’s eight children are presented, their health and longevity documented, especially the fact that girls entered this household before boys. All four females and four males are considered in light of the family’s growth, Clara’s concert career, and Robert’s development as father, husband, and composer. Clara’s faith in her children is assessed for its resonance. Servants are contextualised, historically, economically, and socially, and Clara’s concertising viewed in light of eight children. Clara’s pregnancies and image of herself as a mother, particularly the way she mentored the children not to pursue musical careers, is treated. The whole household unit is assessed in relation to its size, health, and diverse psychology. Clara’s long widowhood and old-age are viewed in the contexts of late nineteenth-century Germany and, more pointedly, her surviving children. The ‘politics of the Schumann family’ is discussed in terms of its long evolution over many decades.