This weekend I was the recipient of one of those ‘insults disguised as casual chatter’ monologues. The kind that starts out “I don’t know how you can possibly give 5 children enough attention and love” and goes downhill from there. Strangely, I only get those lectures from people with one or two children. I say lecture/monologue because I just nod and smile while the person goes on and on about how exhasting their child is and how they can’t understand people who have more than two children. Nothing I say would change that person’s mind anyway. Let’s review how neglected our children are right now. Tommy has group therapy, psychiatrist appointments and horseback riding lessons. He and Doug play D&D with a friend and the friend’s father every other week. Tommy gets to go along on the Boy Scout camping trips. Poor, pitiful Sarah is secretary of the student council and a member of the art club, the school’s news crew, Girl Scouts and has a part in the seventh grade play. She participates in SibShops and has a weekly sleepover either here or at a friend’s house. She somehow manages to see a movie in the theater almost every week. Noah is a Boy Scout and active in Karate (3 times a week) while also participating in TAG and the school chess club. Amy has preschool twice a week and gets to participate in so many of the Girl Scout activities that she considers herself a Girl Scout. Evan has no organized activities but still nurses full-time and you will have to just trust me when I say that is a time-consuming activity. Sooooo, I just don’t think my children are neglected.
Way to go, guys 🙂
What’s great is they have loving and caring parents, which is more than a lot of kids have today. One/two/ten-kid households, it doesn’t matter. Just give them time and attention and freedom at the same time and they’ll be fine.
Why do folks say crap like that?
How can they pretend to know what another family is like?
I ‘only’ have three, and I have my hands full. But I certainly don’t think anyone with more than three is somehow a faulty parent, or not raising their kids well.
(my wife is #10, so perhaps I’m just more open-minded to big families?)
What you need to do is stop taking as an insult. Because what these people are saying is, “I do not have the capabilities to do what you do.”
Here, is how I see them saying it (and since I am a person that can’t handle more than my daughter – I think a fair representative)
Personally, I don’t know how you do it. I feel like I am overwhelmed with my princess. BUT that doesn’t make me a better person than you for only having one child. That is what I can handle, and that is what I do. The two of you are obviously much better skilled at time management than I am, so I applaud you for your skills, and in a way I am jealous becuase I WISH I could handle it.
Oh that poor Evan. He’s got no scheduled activities of his own. Poor, neglected Evan.
Oh wait! Yes, he does! He’s that that circus act with Doug!
Obviously they have never watched the discovery channel and seen the Duggars who have 16 children and are the most organized family I’ve ever seen. http://www.duggarfamily.com/
My hats off to you! I have trouble with two but you seem to be doing great! I agree with Latte Man.
They are jealous and insecure clearly!
No one can understand the how you all do what you do!
You all are amazing!