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The following is excerpted from Mormon Hub. To read the full article, click here.
You’ve seen them driving those BMWs (big Mormon wagons) or posting on Facebook about how many gallons of milk their family goes through in week (or even in a day). They are those sometimes admired, sometimes ridiculed, Mormon moms with a BUNCH of kids.
I guess I fall into this category although I never dreamed I would. I’ve got 8 of them. Kids, that is. They range from 19 years old all the way down to 2. And although by no means do I have this large family thing down pat, I do have some fun confessions about what it’s like to be a Mormon mom with lots of kids:
Mormon Mom Confession #1: I don’t look down on you for having fewer kids than me.
It happens every time I’m in a public setting and I start chatting with someone about our families. Enter the “How many kids do you have?” question and the “Whoa, are you kidding me?” incredulous response. Most people add something like, “I onlyhave…” or “I don’t think I could do that!” But I always remind them that the number of kids we have doesn’t have anything to do with our worth as a person. I’ve know women with 10 kids and some who have never had children and they are equally amazing!
Mormon Mom Confession #2: It wasn’t always my life goal to have lots of kids.
Some Mormon women might enter married life with a goal to have a LOT of kids. Although the definition of “a lot” has changed over the years (someone recently told me that 5 is the new 10), I personally was never someone who just knew I was destined to have a large family. Honestly.
I grew up with two siblings, with some additional step-siblings coming into the picture when I was a teenager. So the majority of my childhood it was me and my two sisters, all very close in age. I couldn’t fathom, let alone envision, the logistics necessary to run a household of 10 people. In addition, I wasn’t a “kid” person. You know, one of those teenage girls who just loves to babysit or hold babies or plan out names for her future children. But here I am. With 8 kids. By choice.
To read the full article, click here.
Jaqui BettsJuly 17, 2018
I have 10 children -- 10 in 15 years. They're all grown up now and I am amazed at their strength and abilities. They all have successful marriages although only 1 married in the temple and is currently actively LDS. Each one has shown courage and strength during very difficult times and truly understands the strength found in family. I always thought one or two children would be nice, but somehow, I just loved those tiny ones and they just kept coming and I wouldn't change anything! 18 years of washing and folding diapers was truly worth it!