Big is Beautiful

I'm no stranger to a large family. Although I have only one younger brother, my mother is the oldest of seven. I had 15 cousins that I fought with, laughed with, cried with and grew up with. At family gatherings, I got used to using my moms first name to get her attention. When I called out "Mom!" the right one never answered.

Now I'm married to the oldest of ten. Our seven year old son is the oldest of eighteen grandchildren, seventeen of which live within a five mile radius. You can bet my children are going to grow up like I did, enjoying the blessings of having lots of cousins.

So you'd think that with my big family environment I'd be use to the comments and looks I get at the store, all four kids in tow. I get looks of sympathy and remarks like "the doctor can tell you how to fix that". Even the people who say something tactful do so with a you've-got-to-be-crazy look on their face. Yes, it's hard grocery shopping with all four kids. I'm sure I look like a half-crazed woman at wits end. By the time I get everything into the basket that I need and the extras out that were put there by my kids I've circled the store ten times.

When these people look at me with pity I want to stop them and show them how my ten month old daughter can blow me a kiss. If only they were at our dinner table the night before when my seven-year-old son thanked me for supper and said "everything you make is my favorite". These moments make the stressful time in the grocery store seem so small.

The challenges of raising a large family can be exhausting. But my full house gives me a full heart. It's not the sleepless nights or interrupted phone calls that I hate the most. The worst part about having a full house is knowing that someday it will be empty.

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