You forgot the most important lesson in today’s society - reuse, reduce, recycle!!  In raising 11 children, my kids are ecstatic if they ever get brand new clothes (usually thanks to a grandmother).  They’ve long known the benefit (both financially and environmentally) of finding and buying almost everything used (tho’ I draw the line at undies and socks!).  And my 8 yr. old is reaping benefits from friends who are very impressed w/ his Pokemon collection handed down to him from his 19 yr. old brother (who got them his grandfather who got them cheap at flea markets!).

Despite what our critics may think the large family carbon footprint (while there may be A LOT of feet) is usually a good deal smaller than those who buy all new, all the time.

You can publish this and your other posts in a book and I’d buy one.  It’s entertaining, informative and educative.

Loved this article!  This couldn’t be closer to the truth; I personally don’t have any children, yet, but I am close to couples in my parish with big families.  And I have seen this to be true time and time again. great article, had to retweet it.

Excellent!
When people ask me how we do it ‘cause they have two and it’s all they can handle, I just tell them that it gets easier after two!

Well said Matt.

Amen!  As a mother of 7 I experience much of this on a daily basis.  Patience:  I’ve been the biggest one to benefit in this area! and wow! have they given me an education that no college could ever dream of coming close to giving.  Children are precious whether one or 20 of them, biologically yours or adopted - they are an incredible gift from God.

Just wanted to share this w/ all… i forwarded the article to my sister-in-law, young mother, w/ another baby on the way,  and this was her reply:

“thank you ... you have no idea how much this little article helped me today :)”

Thanks for sharing. I’m glad it brightened up her day a bit.

Yes, yes to everything :) :) Thanks!

Amen!  None of my friends believe me when I say that the more you have, the easier it gets, but it’s true!  They think that the work must increase exponentially with each child, but it doesn’t.  Just the love increases that way :)

It is so true. I often tell moms who react with astonishment to the fact that I have (a rather small number) four that it gets easier with each one after two, not harder. They don’t believe me!

Amen!  So so true.  I’m second of eight, and our parents nearly always were complimented on our behavior.  Why?  Because we learned early that we didn’t have to be first in line or get everything we wanted to be loved and taken care of.  We learned to put our sibs first and to rejoice in their successes and share their sorrows.  In other words, there’s a lot of good that comes from a situation where things cannot be tailored exactly to you- which makes you a lot better at adapting to every situation.

Exactly.  I always tell people that the first is the hardest!  After that, you have helpers and allies…
:)
Awesome post as usual.

Well said! I’ve been watching the Duggars lately and have been so impressed with the way their kids take care of each other. With just four of my own, I do believe “the more, the merrier”—more love, more laughter, more of the truly good life.

Matt, so true.  I have five, and I found two to be the hardest.  Being alone with a baby, or with two babies, is brain melting.  After the second (unless you are incredibly fertile) you really won’t be alone with babies anymore—you’ll have some big kids.  The ability to say “Hey Big Girl/Boy, sit here with Baby while I change the laundry loads!” is so freeing.

I’m third oldest of eleven. Great observation, Matt and Pat.  We used to call a lot of those qualities “being socialized”. Living with 10 other junior citizens within our own mini-community certainly gave us skills in navigating through the complexities of a community.

Love this!  I’m the youngest of nine and the mother of five and it’s all true!  I would add a mystery element to it, because when in public, everyone behaves and thinks we’re so wonderful, but behind closed doors, those fights can get pretty ugly sometimes.  How do I do it?  Here’s the mystery…I teach them public manners, but give them a safe place where they know they are loved so if they really have to melt down, they know it’s ok and they will still be loved no matter what!

I am in full agreement (sibling of 11, mother of 6)!!  Don’t forget to add the benefits to society - all these future taxpayers who understand what it means to do their fair share and meet responsibilities!

I tend to blame the stupid genes of you know who but then I realized that the good genes tends to be dominant and the bad ones tend to be recessive.  The only way for a stupid gene to come out is for both sources to be bad.

I’m one of eight and we were always complimented as to how well behaved we were when we went out somewhere! Mom and Dad were always real proud of the compliments. I think the reason for the good behavior was because we didn’t get to go many places that often!We were kiond of in awe of it all!

Thank you, Matthew. I love this article.  I am one of seventeen children and know that everything you say here is so true.

Being raised in such a large family has many advantages. For one, I don’t remember ever being bored or feeling alone.  There was always something going on. Looking back the best way to describe it is like a special occasion every day. Whereas other families were looking forward to the gathering of relatives coming over during a holiday or special occasion, our home was always filled with a lot of people of all different ages; with children in the living room watching their favorite program, or sitting in the kitchen chatting while having a cup of tea and a biscuit, or in the bedrooms reading, doing homework, or the teenagers listening to music, being creative with sewing, or just a couple of children playing games inside the house, or outside playing marbles, jump rope, hopscotch, or hockey.  And besides always having a full house, we always had room for having our friends to come over, and they always remarked how they truly enjoyed gathering amongst us.  In those days, not nearly as many activities were away from home like most of them are today. Home was the meeting place where we gathered to eat, sleep, play, read, laugh, talk, love and pray, and where I heard God’s name mentioned every day.  A foundation that we all knew would be there when we came home! A foundation I learned that was true wealth to grow up in and greater fulfillment than any amount of what the world referred to as wealthy.

I have two children of my own today and they love to sit around and listen to the stories of what it was like to grow up in a family of seventeen children. Looking back, it was a wonderful blessed life, like no other!

How refreshing to read all your responses!
Now this is indeed the hope of the church!
Sometimes, it is not so easy to find such an abundance of openness to life!
And full of joy because the cross is embraced!

I also totally agree with the second baby being the hardest.  It’s the first time you divide your attention, and the first child has to get used to giving up the limelight.  After that transition, it sure is easier.  You just make more room around the table or wherever.  I have four and if I were younger would have had a few more.  My dad was one of 10 kids, and I have 3 brothers. My husband is one of 5 kids.  We are the only ones out of our generation to have more than two children, and I’m so glad we did! They are all blessings even when they are trials.

This was hysterical. I especially loved the spying.
We have only been blessed with two though I was one of 7 (including steps/halves) so have some experience in the deputizing of the older kids.

As the middle sibling of 7. This is SOOO true. We learned so early on that it didn’t seem like learning it was just the way life is. I do feel for our girlfriends/boyfriends/husbands/wives when they first met us. We were our usual welcoming selves but I think maybe a little overwhelming!! We have been through some really tough times but somehow they would have been so much worse without each other and God. Thanks for posting this - it made me smile so much.

As the fourth of eight kids, I am in total agreement!  The older kids were built-in babysitters for the younger ones.  Also, my parent, very wisely in my opinion, made four of us Godparents to the youngest two, since we were more likely to be close to them our entire lives than friends.  Great article!

I have ten, now all grown.  By the time you have three you have already run out of hands so somehow you manage.  It was Fun!!  I would do it all over againQ

You are right on, Matt.  I’m one of nine and I love every second of it.
Two things you might add to the list are:
Sports: Who needs organized sports when you can organize a five-on-five game in seconds?
Presents: A little math shows that if you have 8 brothers and sisters, you get a lot more presents.

as the second of 11 i totally agree. i learned every one of those things (and a few more) and still use them to today. maybe not the spyign so much anymore…

- The average carbon footprint for people in the United States is 20.40 metric tons
- The average for the industrial nations is about 11 metric tons
- The average worldwide carbon footprint is about 4 metric tons
- The worldwide target to combat climate change is 2 metric tons

Important choices in reducing our carbon footprint fall into many categories.  Here are a few:

- Create an energy efficient, well-insulated living environment that uses less power to heat and cool (ask your power company about energy saving tips, such as replacing incandescent bulbs with fluorescent bulbs, weatherizing your home, etc.)

- Invest in a high-efficiency forced air heating system (the initial expense may seem high, but most of us can find ways to finance through credit and it will pay you back in seven years or less)

- Re-insulate your home (the R-value of insulation is important in keeping the heat in your home during cooler weather and the heat out during warmer weather.  Most homes built today have lower than optimal R-values.  You can fix this by blowing more insulation into your walls, attic, and basement areas)

- Grow a garden full of produce that you or your family regularly consume

- Buy produce that is in season and as locally grown as possible

- Buy organic produce (the chemicals used in inorganic farming have a HUGE carbon footprint)

- Eat less meat, especially red meat

- Eat more fruits and vegetables

- Buy food with less packaging or no packaging

- Drive your car less or carpool

- Take less flights

- Buy anything you can secondhand, including clothes, toys, games, electronic equipment, cars, bikes, etc.

- Buy less stuff!

Choosing just a few of these can make a huge difference in your carbon footprint…the more the better!

Somewhere down the line it will be our family members and/or offspring that have to face the severe consequences of our reckless energy consumption if we do not choose to curb our lifestyle choices today and in the future.  We love our families and children, but need to make reality based and loving choices also for our children’s children and so forth.

Great article Matthew. It brightened my day anyway.

I’m the mother of 4 and love this!  Especially the spying, my kids are a little nervous all the time, and it is very good. I went from being a homeschooler, where I had a small family, to working in a large law firm, where people freak out about me having “all those kids”.  I’ve had the 4 is easier than 2 conversation many times.  My sister has 8 and I like nothing more than having all the cousins together.  Thanks for this!

Yep, that sounds about right. I’m the only girl in a family of six kids, and you’ve pretty much gotten it down perfectly.

What a great article!  I have four children (whose ages are spaced apart a bit) and this article was perfect.  I also have to agree with previous comments regarding future taxpayers and responsible members of society.  AMEN!

This sounds familiar!  I grew up in a family of six children, and it’s true that I couldn’t imagine having only just one sibling, let alone being an only child.  I’d be a lot different than I am today.

loved this article - as a mom to seven 14 and under, i could relate to all of it - i grew up with two sisters, and a bigger family is so different and so much more fun than i could ever have imagined!  These are wonderful little people and i am enjoying these years so much :) even if i do drop into bed bone weary every night :) The best part for me is watching the relationships develop between them - how they are such good friends, how my big boy is so tender to his baby sister, watching baby run to comfort a big brother when he is hurt…This is a great way to be a child :) and a fun way to be a mother!

You Catholics have it all wrong.  Big families are irresponsible and third world.  With overpopulation, pollution, depletion of resources, etc, it is sinful to have more than 2 kids. I would be downright ashamed to be a Catholic because of the birth control issue. Even most Catholics are not dumb enough to follow such stupidity.  Small families equal a better life. Big families should not be allowed.

Jean, I suspect we’re going to find out in the future that there might be some problems with our “overpopulation” statistics…just like we’re finding that there is a lot of political agenda in certain aspects of the climate change debate.  I’m not Catholic, but I find your representation of any Catholics who have more than 2 kids as “irresponsible..sinful…stupid….shameful,” etc., to be beyond the pale. Your comment that big families “shouldn’t be allowed” makes me extraordinarily grateful you’re not yet in a position of political power to control the number of kids Americans are “allowed” to have. Who do you think you are, making those types of reproductive decisions for everyone else? Your lack of logic, your elitism, and your arrogance to believe that you can make these pronouncements for everyone else (all of whom are apparently not capable of making these decisions for themselves) is astounding.

Jean,
You’ve bought the propaganda of Paul Ehrlich and Lester Brown hook, line and sinker.  Ehrlich’s book the “Population Bomb” is nothing more than a tirade against Pope Paul VI and the Catholic Church.  It’s too bad Ehrlich and his cohorts are completely wrong.  Julian Simon, an economist from the U. of Md., debunked Ehrlich more than three decades ago with his book “The Ultimate Resource 2” and his $1,000 wager with Ehrlich (http://www.nytimes.com/1990/12/02/magazine/betting-on-the-planet.html?sec=&spon;=&pagewanted=all).  Jean, what you and many have refused to see is that since the turn of the last century infant mortality has dropped dramatically (http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm4838a2.htm) and longevity has increased (we are living longer and healthier).  This is what has increased the world population not the birthrate of Catholics or any other group.  I will admit the materialism that exists in developed countries has created a pollution problem but not one that cannot be fixed through human ingenuity.  As far as resource depletion goes, resources are not resources until humanity discovers it.  Uranium was simply a radioactive element until the Curie’s discovered and harnessed its power.  Thomas Malthus, the initiator of your train of thought, believed that by the middle of the 19th century New York City would be covered in horse manure because of the expanding U.S. economy.  Well that didn’t happen and developments in technology, railroads, steamships and automobiles, made horses obsolete for commerce and manure a scare product sought after for our home gardens.  Simon addresses much of the tirade you’ve posted here on the Register blog.  Jean you might want to give it a read and I highly recommend that everyone read this book, particularly if you have or plan to have a large family.  It will give you fodder for the fallacious arguments from zero population growth fanatics.

@MTmomma,
I’d wager that the per capita carbon footprint of large families is far less than the 20.40 metric tons you cite.  I say this because my experience with large families is that they already do many of the suggestions you list just to save money and do right for their families.  BTW, many of our large families can probably qualify for the Dept. of Energy’s weatherization program, which can assist them in marking their homes more energy efficient.

It’s so wonderful to see all of the great responses!  My children are very thankful for everything. This Christmas was very meager and our four young children were ecstatic to see what every other child received- it actually brought my husband to tears. Large families are very blessed.  It’s time to tell the world about the joy!

I had a very witty comment typed but the page refreshed unexpectedly and wiped it out.  :>)  I’m sure you’re all disappointed!  I linked to this on my weekly roundup.  My parents came from families of 10 and 11, and I loved having so many cousins!  I only had one brother, though, and so far we only have one daughter, though we’re praying for more.  The good thing is that no matter the size of our family, it still reflects God’s blessings.  Thanks!

I came across your article this morning. We have 5 children 9, 8, 6, and 20 month old twins. Life is truly as you say it in the article. Lovely reading. Thank you for the chuckle this morning.

Jean,

I find your comments that “large families should not be allowed” from Saturday the 13th to be quite intolerant and extremely offensive. I am the father of nine children (6 girls, 3 boys) and I can say from each perspective (physically, emotionally, spiritually, etc.) that a large family has many benefits that “amplify” those of a small family. It’s not a question of small family vs. large family. It’s a question of world view. Your world view, at best is limited, in that you see the glass half empty. Most large families see the glass half full and operate from the position of “Joy” vs. “Happiness”. My heart aches for your limited and selfish view of the world.

As the mother of 10 children, all adopted, I am chuckling at this list!  Two weeks ago my husband and I were blessed enough to be alone (without kids) in a jacuzzi with friends.  The other woman asked me if I worked out because my arms looked buff!  I laughed and said, “I carry laundry, kids, groceries, toys, furniture, more groceries, more laundry!”  When having large families was just the “norm” mommies didn’t need gym memberships!!

I was very saddened to read Jean’s comment on not allowing parents to have more than 1 baby.  I will pray that God touches her soul and heals her and changes her mind.  I am a mom to 6, and honestly never thought I would have this many.  Now I pray for even more.  We do what we can to help the environment, but I honestly don’t think God will judge us on our carbon footprint!!!  LOVED the original article though.  Very fitting.

Thank you for a big smile and a good reminder of the 5 blessing God has given us!

Love the article Matt. As new(ish) Catholic, new wife and new mother it’s been a real encouragement. Jean I have to say, it’s a bit sad you feel the need to fish like this. The website is called the National CATHOLIC Register. If you really dislike us that much, why are you the one starting arguements in blogs dedicated to Catholics? I don’t like big cars, so I don’t go to hummerz_r_cool.com and post things to bait the intended audience. I can show you to what extent over population is a myth, just come here to New Zealand. The immigration policies are very lenient - they have to be, we’ve got a problem with falling birth rates and under population. We simply don’t have enough young people to replace the older generations. In fact, you stay right where you are, all the big families come to New Zealand, our government recently introduced some new tax incentives to have more kids.

Great post!!  I love it!
Came over from MckMama’s site…

My and my husband’s favorite insider joke is to see which of us says “YOUR SON!” the fastest when one of the boys does something crazy!  I think the biggest families are probably the closest.  My mom was one of twelve siblings -all still living.  There are 36 cousins in the family, and including everyone’s spouses and children (and grandchildren) we have about 180 people in the family.  One of my cousins just had his 12th child!  I can (almost?) name every one of them.  We have holiday gatherings, a 3-day camp every 3 years, a monthly newsletter, and get along well.  Most of what keeps up close centers around our faith.  Big families rock!

AMEN!! I am the mother of six wonderful, crazy, caring, laughing children.  Ages 16 to 2.  Life is crazy, hectic, busy, wonderful, noisy, amazing and GREAT.  I wouldnt have it any other way.  YEAH for big families.

I think family size can be a mixed bag. I come from a family of 6, and we’re not especially close, nor have we reproduced in great numbers ourselves — I think we picked up on a sense that we were a lot of trouble to raise.
I didn’t plan to have children and indeed ended up having only one child, now a teen, but I do regret not having had more. My now mid-life perspective has shown that another one or two or three would’ve been a real joy, not an oppressive burden.
My best wishes to those of you who have many children — and I ask for your prayers as I work to get over the regret of not having had more babies.

Matt, I loved your article.  I have “only” 4 kids, and people ask me ALL THE TIME “how do you do it?”  I tell them I don’t know anything else…and I love them all.  I also tell others “God doesn’t divide your love, He only multiplies it.”  And I’d like to add one more bullet to your list.  I have lifetime teaching certificate in my state…but if you were certified after 1999, you have to renew your certification every five years by taking continuing education courses.  I’d like to think raising 4 kids IS my continuing education, thank you very much! ;-)

Amen, amen, amen! I am expecting baby #8, and NO ONE believes me when I say it gets easier with each child. We also get complimented quite frequently on how “well behaved” our children are, and while I’d love to believe it’s because of our superior parenting skills (*grin*), in reality it’s because of all the lessons that they just naturally learn in a large family.

I am the joy-filled mommy of three children thus far (one more that we know of on the way!) and I am often asked when visiting the grocery store, “How do you do it? Your kids are so well behaved!” They always ask in shock. It makes me laugh but I’ve often contemplated the things on your list and been thankful for them. It has been lovely to see them written out.

Whenever someone says something else to me (a comment I get on a regular basis, too), “Wow, you sure do have your hands full!” I used to respond with the little saying, “If you think my hands are full, you should see my heart!” But now I think it’s been a lot more fun and thought provoking to say, “Yes. Whenever I think that same thought to myself, I simply pray to God for bigger hands, because I love these kids so much!” I can’t imagine life without them, no matter how crazy things can get at times.

I think that one thing it is important for people who are so against large families to know is that their assumptions about our families are not always correct. Sure, there may be some families who are truly wasteful. But in our experience, it is the larger families who are really proactively trying to decrease the amount of waste produced - and ever positively impacting the environment!. We may drive bigger cars, but we also eat at home more often and go out a whole lot less, thereby driving a whole lot less, we use less paper and plastic items (we have such wonderful dishwashers - the people sort - at home, we use and reuse clothing and everything, etc.

In my opinion, it is a life choice. A family of three or four can have an ever larger carbon footprint than a family of eight. But if we are raising our children to value life and the world God has given us, we can easily be making a positive impact, rather than a negative one.

This was FABULOUS! I “only” have 3 children, but this was great! Thank you and May God Bless you and your beautiful family.

I LOVED this article.  I am the mom of 5 and so many of these things are spot on.  We had ours in two ‘phases’, three ‘big kids”(8, 9 and 11) and two ‘short people’(3 months and 2 years).  The big kids are great helpers for the little ones.  They want to take care of them and keep them happy and safe.  This strengthens their bond, but also teaches the bigger kids responsibility and skills for caring for their own kids someday. 
Another benefit I would have included in the article is the ability to eat anything.  Too many kids are able to be so picky, but when you have a lot of kids, you can’t make separate dinners for everyone, and I refuse to eat mac and cheese for every meal.  They are adventurous eats are willing to try just about anything(especially if their sibling may balk at it because then they have something to ‘one-up’ them with).  There are too many people in this family to cater to them all, so I never started it in the first place.  THAT is freeing, too, because we can try new places, they can eat at their friends homes and I don’t have to carry a bag full of pb&j when we go out to eat!

I’m with Cara. Jean, you are wrong. Very wrong. The same people who claim it’s “irresponsible and sinful” to have more than two children are the same people who support the killing of unborn babies through abortion. Abortion is murder. Those children who you are so against are our future. They are the future social security and tax payers, the future farmers and inventors, doctors, lawyers, cashiers and babysitters.

Great article- especially on a Saturday morning.

It’s great to start the weekend off with a chuckle.

What a joy to see so many other big families commenting on your wonderful piece. That alone was worth reading all the way to the bottom of the page. I’m the mother of nine, ages 12 and under (only one set of twins!). Life is never, ever dull in our house. I have nine different personalities to keep me fascinated. Nine people I get to introduce to my favorite music, literature, art, and more. Nine people I get to share my sense of humor with daily. Nine people I can look at and see a beautiful blending of my husband and myself, plus all the extended family members. Life is wonderful! Thanks for such a lovely post!

I absolutely loved this!

This so neat I come from a large family I am the second of six kids all of this rings so true to me I had all my younger siblings rat on me at one time or a another of course there is a price to pay being the second oldest and biggest they did at times feel my wrath for being a snitch other than that we got a long pretty good.

mom of 8 here, Loved the article!..and for what it’s worth-I hate the phrase “carbon footprint”!

Thanks, I am posting this to my facebook page. I am printing if for my husband and sticking it on the fridge. I have 5 children, one in Heaven and 4 here and I get all sorts of comments. This is fantastic what you write. My family ask me how I can give time to each one, well you sum it up beautifully. What’s even better the number of people esp. family and health professionals who tell us we have had our last one. When I read your article, I say bring them on, the more the merrier.

Thanks for this article :)

@ those who criticise Catholics for breeding, cheer up! Since you are breeding yourself into exitinction we will soon be the only one’s left to worry about the planet.

Welcome to the new world!

Being number 6 of 7 I learned very quickly to fend for myself knowing that if I wanted something I had to speak up, now we always didn’t get what we wanted but we learned to accept that, as well.  We always had someone to play with, I can’t count the number of baseball games we played mostly 3 on 3 til our younger brother was old enough.  We learned loyalty very quickly and always had each others backs.  I remember being on the playground and a girl was being mean to me and one of my older brothers stepped in and made her quit.  Now of course there were many times that he clubbered me but that was okay cuz we were family.  I will always remember that in public we always protected each other, knowing that we always had each other to keep us company

Just a few words -

AMEN!

and

RETWEETED!

So well written!  I have 6 children..and I can say…everything you say is true and then some!

I also think that when we have larger families…we are more likely to address the BIG behaviour issues….and that causes less friction because we aren’t hovering over every single thing they do.  They learn the big DON’Ts and DO’s and learn to evaluate all their actions by that very simple set of rules…..

Great article!

As the Mama of a Dozen children ... I agree with all you’ve written.

As the mom of an only daugher (age 8), I definitely know how hard it is to only have one!

Another GREAT benefit of a large family (I come from a family of 6 and now have 4 children of my own) is that when you get married and start having your own kids, there are lots of babysitters available!  Also, with a big family even if none of your friends show up, you still have enough people for a great birthday party!

Thank you for the laughs this morning! As the mother of eight, I totally agree!

Sounds just like my house!  I’m currently the mother of 8 with 2 more on the way.  It’s crazy but I wouldn’t have it any other way!  Great read, thanks!

Jean,

Big family? OR Small family? These type of decisions are personal and everyone ought to be convinced in their own minds. What is the point of forcing people to live according to our personal convictions when God may be telling them something different? If it brings God more glory for you to have a small family than Praise God for that! If it brings God more glory for someone else to have six kids, then Praise God for that! God promised not to give us more than we can handle, as long as we are trustng in Christ with everything that He does give us. Furthermore, it is hard for me to believe that God is going to favor one of his servants over another based on the size of their family. That is just silly.

If you have a large family, you don’t have to prove to society or anyone else that you love your children, or that you are doing right by them. The only opinion that matters is God, and God is not fearing that the resources He provides for us are going to disappear. Everything that we receive comes from His hand. And, if you only have one child, you do not have to fear that you are not living up to the standard that people with big families are because it is up to God how much fruit families will produce. For all you know, your one child could end up producing more fruit, and could please God more than someone elses six children. It’s all up to God.

P.S. I am one of seven girls and one boy. To be quite honest, I don’t feel that my mom and dad were prepared to have so many children. My dad left us when I was five, and my mom raised us by herself for the most part (save for the help of extended family). I do believe that it would have been more wise for my parents to have been believers, looked to God for counsel before making such big decisions, and then had children accordingly.

As one of 6 and mommy to 9 (14yrs to 5 mos.) Thank you so much for all your sharing and support of large families.  I truly live and believe in all the benefits.  Fun, crazy and most of all filled with lots of love!!

A Gift to Her by God

She woke up early morning before the dawn of light, and started cooking a large pot of oatmeal, while she put a fresh stick of butter on the table to soften for spreading on our toast.  In- between warming a bottle of milk for the baby she managed to put on a pot of coffee,  in hope that she’d sip it while checking our school bags for sharpened pencils, copybooks, milk money, and nickels for recess. She gently held the baby to her chest with one arm while helping the younger ones button their shirts, or tying their shoes, or pulling up their pants after they left the bathroom. She walked us to the front door with the baby still in her arms, and toddlers hanging on the hem of her house dress, while she checked the outside weather and told us to put on a sweater or jacket and waved good-bye.

She began washing the breakfast dishes, and put clothing in the washing machine that usually ran all hours until we came home at lunchtime.  We always had sandwiches that were ready made with fresh bread, ham, cheese, and a tall glass of milk, and a banana to eat on the way back to school.  We were excited to get home after the school day ended to have a snack of homemade cake and play outside or watch cartoons on TV.  We didn’t have a lot of chores after school because she always made sure that our playing outside in the fresh air took priority towards our well being of physical exercise. 

The greatest joy shown on her face through watching us children laugh and play while she prepared dinner. We could always depend on fresh meat (that most children like) as; chicken, hamburger, or pork chops, with mashed potatoes, gravy, corn or green beans. We were never forced to eat what our taste buds hadn’t yet developed to acquire.  She laughed at each and every one of our silly stories at the dinner table while spoon feeding one of the toddlers in a high chair, or heating up some warm milk for the hungry crying baby.  The only thing that she asked of us is that we help take over the spoon feeding for the toddlers (when we were finished eating ourselves), or watch over them in the playpen while she did the dinner dishes and cleaned up the messes that were left behind. 

She taught us virtues, morals, and the value of love, laughter, and honesty, with kindness.  A day never went by that didn’t include her conversations with God that she’d share with us.  She’s done this her whole life, ever since the first day she got married at sixteen years old and had a child every year after.

She never hollered, used profanity, wore make-up, or owned any clothing other than housedresses.  We never heard her complain, but, only voice the joy and satisfaction over preparing an abundant meal, or the fragrance of freshly laundered clothes and a sparkling clean house. 

She hardly asked for outside help, even from my father. Her greatest challenge in life was keeping her marriage vowels blessed with the demands of a dominant husband.  She understood the ‘misgivings’ of the old school’s philosophy that were put upon a man’s success, of enabling him power over the whole family, that only brought compassion towards him more.  She miraculously was able to overcome all the odds that were against her by keeping her focus on the wellness and joys of the family through the simplicity of meekness and love. She put everyone’s needs before her own as though they were treasures and counted her blessings to serve.

She was certainly different from all the rest because she had given up her life - A sacred duty of responsibility for ‘seventeen’ children that she nurtured practically on her own.  She completely turned around what could have been a devastating situation of lack, (perhaps for the majority of families), to one of the most loving families a child is proud to belong.  She did this by staying on the same (age) level of communication with each and every child that was under her care.  With what little education from elementary school that she had; she certainly found the internal teacher that is implanted within that shown her way through faith, hope, and love. (Which in my eyes have been made by God.)

Her health started to fail when her youngest child was six years old. The strength in her legs weakened, causing pain, and she developed partial blindness from Diabetes.  I can still hear her whispers of prayers and envision her kneeling before the Crucifix ‘pleading’ for ten more years of good health to continue her promise of taking care of the children.  Her passion of love for the children was her greatest power of strength and joy of hope in life that her health miraculously returned until she met God face to face ten years after.

When I was pregnant with my 5th, SO MANY people told me how they regretted not having “just one more baby”.  I never wanted to live with that regret, and we managed to have our 6th baby when we were 44.  He is the delight of the entire family, and if we were younger, he wouldn’t be our last!

My 5th grade daughter’s class had to answer the question: If you could have ANYTHING in the world, regardless of the cost, and your parents would not say no, what would you ask for?  75% of the class asked for another sibling!  Large families are blessed on so many levels.

I’m crying and laughing at the same time.  This is precious and PRICELESS.  Thank you for whomever wrote this!  I only had 3, 1 at home, but I wish I had had more, now. :)

Mother to 9, eleven and under. Second oldest of seven. I loved being an big sister and now my little sisters love to be Aunties to my children. I answer everyone that asks “how we handle so many children” by saying that four is the “maxim of chaos”. You never have more than four children. After four they just start teaming up. Honestly, when we have company or when I sit for a girlfriend is when I get the most done. Sometimes I don’t hear from the kids for the afternoon. Never heard the word bored until we got a Wii, now we severely reduced playing time and we are back to being creative.

I have 12 who range in age from 4 months to 16 years; I definitely agree with all this!

adozenblessings.wordpress.com

I love your perspective! My husband and I are debating on whether we would like to have a big family or not. He come from a family of 5 and I come from a family of 4. Our main concern is cost….I’ll have to show him this article though. :)
http://bemily521.hubpages.com/hub/largevsmallfamilies

I am 1 of 10 kids and wouldn’t wish a large family on anyone. My parents were wonderful, loving people but they were more like caretakers rather than parents. We were lucky if they could keep our names straight yet alone our likes and dislikes. They tried their best but there’s just NO WAY to pay individualized attention to each child when you have so many. I know you’re all going to say you’re different, you make each child feel special, blah blah blah ... well guess what, my parents swore that, too. I’m here to tell you YOU’RE WRONG! I was fed, clothed, housed, and well educated - but rarely the center of their attention. Do you honestly think having a “special” day every so many days is all it takes? Seriously? Get real! IT DOESN’T CUT IT PEOPLE! I know…I lived it.