"For unflagging interest and enjoyment, a household of children, if things go reasonably well, certainly makes all other forms of success and achievement lose their importance by comparison."
- Teddy Roosevelt
Being blessed with a large family is what some couples long for and something that some couples don’t even expect! Having ten children, we have a pretty realistic perspective on having more than five kids (which seems medium-sized to us!) There are considerations to being open to having more kids that are deeper than "why not?" There are challenges that parents need to think about because we are co-creators with God. That is not a responsibility to be taken lightly! We know many people who have had an amazing experience growing up in a big family, but there are some people who were deeply scarred because their parents weren't ready for what was coming. Parents can never forget that they have a responsibility to not just give life, but also educate that life as well. We would like to share our experience with you to encourage you to be intentional about planning for what lies ahead if God blesses you with a bunch of kids!
Show Notes:
- Familiaris Consortio #28 (or buy it at Amazon)
- Pope Francis's address to Family Associations (Feast of the Holy Family 2014)
- Dad is Fat by Jim Gaffigan
- Information on NFP from the USCCB
- Information on NFP from the Couple to Couple League
"I guess the reasons against having more children always seemed uninspiring and superficial. What exactly am I missing out on? Money? A few more hours of sleep? A more peaceful meal? More hair? These are nothing compared to what I get from these five monsters who rule my life … each one of them has been a pump of light into my shriveled black heart."
- Jim Gaffigan
Family prayer should be the center of our lives as Catholics, but often parents find it challenging. Praying consistently with our kids is not our strength, so of course that’s why we wanted to address it! You need to find a type of prayer that works for you, and don’t worry about how “well” you pray. The Lord just wants to hear from you and your children need to see your example (especially you dads!). Our entire lives need to be submitted to the Lord, knowing that all we have is from Him.
Show notes and links available at http://www.messyparenting.org or http://www.facebook.com/MessyParenting/
You want to know what it’s like having a fourth kid? Imagine you are drowning and then someone hands you a baby. ~Jim Gaffigan
We believe the most challenging years of parenting are not related to how many kids you have, but rather how close in age they are. Young families say to us all the time, ”We shouldn’t complain because we only have three kids and you have ten.” This is not true! The period of time when your family consists of kids who are all in car seats, can’t tie their own shoes, and are barely potty trained is an extremely difficult time. Be encouraged! This is a phase that doesn’t last forever (though it feels like an eternity at the time). Just think- if you can survive this, you can survive anything!
The changes that happens in adolescence - physically, emotionally, mentally- are very similar to the changes that happen during the toddler years. In both stages your child is developing in leaps and bounds and you are the one God has tasked to guide them. In this podcast, we share some of our ideas and what we have done with our children to create rites of passage, give information when they need it, and helping them solidify their gender identity. This is a crucial time in the lives of our children and its important to be intentional and have a plan of how you are going to help them and love them during this time. This is geared especially for parents with kids in the "tween" and early teen years, 11-14.