The Joys Of A Large Family

The fact that Jeannine has 5 kids was one of the main reasons I asked her to be our blog writer. This month she shares with us some of the benefits of having a large family. Maybe next month we’ll get the other side of the story……I can certainly contribute that from right here at January Baby headquarters. 

Until next month….enjoy

If you do not already know, I have five children. Yes, you read that right – five.

No, I am not crazy, and yes, we are a very busy family.

We get a lot of questions about our family and the number of children we have (as well as our mental state).

Do we know what causes that (pregnancy)? UM………….. yes, we do…

How do we manage? ……………………….We manage just fine with lots of planning and organization…

Are we nuts? …………………no, we are not.

I am not saying having a large family is BETTER. You have one child? Great! That child will surely benefit from all the one on one time they have with you. You have two children? Fantastic! Your child will have a buddy for life. But, when you have a large family, frequently, you are looked at, or remarks are made, about the negatives of having a large family. But, there are so many joys in having a large number of children as well.

1. You are never bored or lonely

There is always someone to play with, read to, laugh with, have an adventure with, create something with. I know, I know, as a parent it seems you are always changing diapers, wiping faces, cleaning up, but there is even joy in that. Just think- someday these children will be all grown up and your house will be clean and quiet – too quiet.

2.   Your children will always have someone (besides you) to depend on.

Your children will always be each other’s staunchest supporters. Fellow secret keepers, adventure seekers, cheering section, shoulder to cry on, arms to laugh in. My older children guide my younger children and have an extremely strong bond despite their difference in age.

3.    You will always have fantastic family photos.

With such a large group of people to choose from, there are so many configurations of people, you get multiple beautiful photos of multiple groupings of people rather than just one family photo. With a mixture of boys and girls, and older kids and younger kids, I love having numerous photos done- all girls, all boys, older kids, younger kids, parents only, kids only…you get the drift.

4.  Built in Babysitters 😉

With two teenagers, we consider ourselves very lucky that if we have a function to attend, we do have someone to ask to babysit. We are careful not to abuse this, but it is nice to know that we have the option.

5.  Sharing is caring

In our house, sharing is mandatory. Each child has that special toy that does not have to be shared and is left in their room, but any and all toys in the play area are to be shared with everyone. With lots of siblings, it is a part of their life that is earned early on and will make them better, kinder people in the long run.

Let me be clear- its not all sunshine and roses here. It is loud amd messy, with never-ending laundry and my floor never seems to be clean. But it is aso full of laughter, nad joy, and fun, and I count all five of my blessings every single day.

And to the question we get asked most often- would we have more? Yes….yes we would.