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How to know you have a large family...

ChristianMama84

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RoseOfLima, I thought of you as I read this. :)

[SIZE=+2]You Know You're a Big Family When...[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+1]by Rebecca Prewett[/SIZE]

[SIZE=+1]M[/SIZE]any people have asked exactly what constitutes a "big family". Some have defined it as any family with more than the socially acceptable number of children. Others have defined it as four or more children. Yet others have defined it in any number of ways. We have come to the conclusion that, almost no matter how you define "big family", we probably stand a good chance of meeting the criteria. How do we know? How can you know if you're a big family? Well, read on:

[SIZE=+1]You know you're a big family when...[/SIZE]

...people count the number of your children out loud when you're in public
...people ask, "Are they all yours?"
...you start counting your children when you're out in public
...you have at least three bunk beds set up in your home
...almost everyone you know has less children than you do
...people say, "Wow! How do you manage?"
...people ask you, out of the blue, if you are Mormon or Catholic.
...you buy your pots and pans in the restaurant supply store
...supposed "family size" food portions seem awfully small
...you complain, "Doesn't anyone make large dining tables anymore?"
...you outgrow your mini-van
...you've heard "Don't you know what causes that?" more times than you'd care to remember
...you've forgotten what it's like to be alone anywhere else but in the bathroom
...your children never run out of playmates among their siblings
...everything you buy is in bulk
...people ask, "Don't you get overwhelmed?"
...you and your husband can no longer hold each child's hand while crossing the street
...it takes a wonderfully long time to hug and kiss everybody
...one of your children looks wistfully at the newborn and asks you, "Can't you have another baby really soon? I hardly get to hold this one because everybody else is taking turns."
...you realize that few houses are designed with your family in mind
...people ask you if you've ever accidentally left any of your children behind
...life around your family never seems boring or dull
...your tent is the largest one in any campground
...you feel sorry for people with only two children
...you sometimes wonder what on earth mothers with only two children do with all their spare time
...whenever you set your dining table, it looks like it used to look when you were expecting lots of company
...you read a cookbook and joke, "They call these meals? Sounds like a little snack to me."
...your gratitude at the abundance of God's blessing moves you to tears unexpectedly
...you start thinking of yourself as "rich in children"
...you secretly think that life in your family might possibly be a much more joyous adventure than life in smaller families
...you are vastly amused at much modern parenting advice, realizing that it is unnecessary, impossible, impractical, or simply silly to try to apply it in a large family setting
...it seems as if you pack more stuff going on a short trip than some people pack when moving their entire household
...you and your husband laugh, "And to think that when we got married, we wanted only four children!"
...your husband sighs happily, "I've finally got my dream car"--and it's a used 15- passenger van.
 
R

RoseofLima

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Oh gracious that is hilarious!! There were so many things on there that I found myself nodding in agreement!!

My kids totally ask me all the time when we are going to have another baby!! LOL!! I'm like--don't you see how crappy of a mom I am when I am pregnant and post-partum!??

The one that was left off there is actually what I hear the most from other people -"Boy, you sure have your hands full!!" (My response is always 'Better full than empty! Most days anyways' And then they nod and respond ,'I guess you're right'. And then usually tel me how they wish they could have had more kids- but didn't have enough money, or enough patience, or enough of a house, etc.)
 
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ChristianMama84

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My kids totally ask me all the time when we are going to have another baby!! LOL!! I'm like--don't you see how crappy of a mom I am when I am pregnant and post-partum!??
:eek: Oh my goodness! My mom started asking grandma when she was going to stop at number four. lol Then she had two more. :) Aww, for what it's worth, from your posts you sound like a very good mom. :thumbsup:
 
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sparassidae

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Oh gracious that is hilarious!! There were so many things on there that I found myself nodding in agreement!!

My kids totally ask me all the time when we are going to have another baby!! LOL!! I'm like--don't you see how crappy of a mom I am when I am pregnant and post-partum!??

The one that was left off there is actually what I hear the most from other people -"Boy, you sure have your hands full!!" (My response is always 'Better full than empty! Most days anyways' And then they nod and respond ,'I guess you're right'. And then usually tel me how they wish they could have had more kids- but didn't have enough money, or enough patience, or enough of a house, etc.)

:D I soooo get this all the time (and I've only got 4). Just yesterday, in the supermarket, doing the shopping with my 4 (school holidays). 5yo was pushing the trolley (with 8mo in the baby seat), 7yo had the shopping list in hand scanning what was in each aisle, 3yo was wandering in generally the right direction.

We were rounding the end of an aisle, and a woman stopped to give us more turning room. I noticed she had 2 children (and they were both slightly older than my eldest) and was mentally saying to myself "Gee it would be easy for her, with only 2 children" (in a 'why would you only have 2, not 'why do I have 4' kind of way) when I heard those magic words "You've got your hands full".

^_^

I'm usually a bit stunned at the comment (since I don't feel like my family is that big) so I just smile and keep going.
 
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ChristianMama84

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:eek: Oh my goodness people are rude!! Here at least there are HUGE Mennonite and Pentecostal Holiness communities, so no one thinks anything of families with 5+ kids. Although, the other day I saw a woman in my OBs office (don't know which she was, they dress the same here) with at least 7 and I thought, "Wow! That's a lot of kids!" But they were very well behaved. Two little girls came and sat by me to look at Remi, which was kinda cool.
 
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beverhome

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Oh, my! Yes! And I don't think 5 is big but I'd get the, 'Are they all yours?' or 'Haven't you found out what causes that', all the time.
That is exactly how we feel about five kids. We were so surprised when all the questions and comments started. Sometimes we think we should have more just to see people jaw hit the floor.

April
 
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RedTulipMom

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my mom and some other family members are already bugging me to "get your tubes tied" or for hubby to "have a vasectomy"...umm..gee i only have 3 kids ...not to mention..i was infertile for 15 yrs..i have a teenager, a 3 yr old and a baby...like im gonna purposelly stop having kids all of a sudden..arghhh...i refuse to even answer anymore when i get birth control questions..
 
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RedTulipMom

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then again..my mom is real strange..she thinks NOBODY should have more than 3 kids..its weird really. She complains when ever ANYONE is pregnant with their 4th or more..lol..like it affects HER in any way..it doesnt even make sense. My brother has 4 kids..my mom practically CRIED when SIL got pregnant with #4. Its not like she has to raise them..so i dont get it. I have a cousin with 6 kids (2 sets of twins included) and my mom acts like she has 35 kids..lol. My mom grew up in a family with 6 kids..so i really dont get it..i think she HATED it cuz she was stuck babysitting all the time while my grandparents worked.
 
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Tea

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Oh what a laugh. Some many of those I have either thought, or have had said to me, or we do.
Recently had our 8th child, and one of the kids said to me, "oh thankyou mum for having a baby, can you have another one!!"
We actually camp with three tents, not one. One for us and the littlies, one for the older girls, and one for the oldest boys.
When people ask me "how do I do it", I tell them one at a time. hehe
People can be very rude at times, and the one comment that gets me the most (no offense intended Roseoflima) is, "your a good little Catholic aren't you!".

I'm going to print that off for the family, thankyou.
Tracey
 
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ChristianMama84

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i refuse to even answer anymore when i get birth control questions..
:mad: My mom's already started this. I finally told her I'm not using any, that really set her off. The last time I used BC it took 32 months for us to get pregnant, so I thought I was infertile. Then, hubby and I hate condoms, so that's not an option. We looked into NFP, but it's confusing and I'd probably end up pregnant anyway. I'll still ask my doctor about it, cause he may be able to tell me something about it since he see conservative Mennonites and Pentecostal Holiness. If not,k I'm fine with putting it completely in God's hands and letting Him decide, even though it seems irresponsible to nearly everyone I know.
 
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latebloomer

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Recently I met a mom with 6 kids. 5 are adopted, 3 of those were a sibling group. She was taking in 3 foster kids. My first thought when she said she had 6 of her own was that she'd know exactly how to take care of the 3 new ones.

About 5 years ago at a family reunion, we finished filling out our notebook about what everyone had done in the past year. We turned to the first page to see what had been written. My cousin had written "still single, not seeing anyone", about 8 years earlier. We all started laughing. He has 6 kids now, including 2 sets of twins.
 
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PegasusOnFire

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:mad: My mom's already started this. I finally told her I'm not using any, that really set her off. The last time I used BC it took 32 months for us to get pregnant, so I thought I was infertile. Then, hubby and I hate condoms, so that's not an option. We looked into NFP, but it's confusing and I'd probably end up pregnant anyway. I'll still ask my doctor about it, cause he may be able to tell me something about it since he see conservative Mennonites and Pentecostal Holiness. If not,k I'm fine with putting it completely in God's hands and letting Him decide, even though it seems irresponsible to nearly everyone I know.


My family is the same way, though hubby's family is like, "DO what you feel is right foryour family"
 
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ChristianMama84

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My family is the same way, though hubby's family is like, "DO what you feel is right foryour family"
Yeah, hubby's mom wants us to have 12. I'm like: :doh: :doh: :doh: I'm hoping God decides we're done at 3. lol But, we'll leave it up to Him.
 
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3Princessmom

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Surprisingly we got the "don't you know what causes that" comment with our third baby! I was shocked that we only had to visit two stores with my neice and nephew in toe (so a total of 5 kids with me and my husband) and I got a comment on how many there were! I told the lady they weren't all ours, but I wish now I hadn't - and told her I was pregnant! :D

I only hope to have a really big family someday, I will gladly take as many as God will graciously give me. But I have health issues that make it REALLY hard for me to get pregnant.:(
 
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