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about largerfamilies.com Why do parents with lots of kids need their own blog? And what counts as a "larger family", anyway? When I was pregnant with my third son, I noticed that I got a very different reaction from people than I had with pregnancies #1 and #2. While two had been seen as normal--almost as the "perfect" number--three made me a little "off" as far as the general public was concerned. "Boy, you've got your hands full!" people would exclaim. Now, when people see me out and about with four, I get lots of comments like "How do you do it?" and "Are they all yours?" Of course, with "only" four kids my family is smaller than a lot of the other largerfamilies.com crew! But according to the last census, only about 10% of women can expect to have four or more kids, as opposed to over 30% just one generation ago. And even three children isn't all that "normal" these days--the average family size includes just under two kids. So in most areas, a family of three and on up IS indeed unusually large...which means we get our fair share of attention, both positive and negative. And even if your family fits in where you live, the same shifting values that have lowered the birth rate have also in many ways made it tricky to raise a larger family--for instance, when it's difficult to purchase an affordable car that seats more than four people comfortably, where do you put the rest of your kids--especially when one or more of them is in a bulky safety seat? When your kids' friends don't have to share a bedroom, don't wear hand-me-downs, and get the newest and best of everything, it can be hard to explain to your kids--or to yourself--why your family is different, and why that's OK. Who is largerfamilies.com for? Anyone who's got more than the "average" number of kids, or who's curious about what it's like to have a larger family in today's smaller-family-centered society can benefit from the advice and experiences we have to share. If you've already got a big family, we hope to bring you information you can use and many laughs of recognition. If you've got kids and would like to see how seasoned moms run their households, deal with sibling issues, or maintain relationships with their partners--whether or not you are thinking of having a larger family yourself--we hope you find this to be a useful and entertaining source of information. And if you aren't sure why anyone would do something so crazy as have four, seven, nine, or more children...we just hope to give you a window into our lives and some understanding of what make large families unique and wonderful. While raising more kids has definite challenges, we know that families aren't a mathematical equation: having four children isn't necessarily twice as hard as having two. Six kids don't get half as much of Mom's love and time as three would. Life is more complicated, flexible and forgiving than that. Moms with more than one or two kids aren't angels or lunatics, and we don't fit any stereotypical mold: We come from all different faiths ( many of which permit birth control!), and some of us aren't religious at all. We are well-to-do and of modest means. We are homeschoolers, public schoolers, and private schoolers. We are stepparents, adoptive parents, and foster parents. We are single, married, and partnered. We are working, at-home, and students, and many combinations of the three. We are fun and serious, easygoing and ambitious, sarcastic and sincere. Some of us are domestic goddesses, while some of us can barely keep up with the laundry. We are a diverse bunch, but the one thing we at largerfamilies.com all have in common is that we love our kids--and are excited to share a bit of our lives with you. Welcome, and happy reading. --Meagan Francis, founder, largerfamilies.com contact me at: info at largerfamilies dot com |
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