With our more than average family of ten, one question I get asked by about 80% of the people I meet is, ‘How are you able to manage so many kids? I can barely manage 1 or 2!’.
The truth of the matter is that I am able to manage because I have so many kids! LOL!
In my experience, the more kids I have had, my life has become only more joyful . When I look back at the years I only had my oldest 1-2, I had asked the same question to other moms of large families. But now, with 8 of my own, there is totally different family/kids dynamics that I find it much easier to manage them.
Now don’t get me wrong. There is obviously more work in a home with so many kids- more dishes, more cooking, more laundry, more spills, more cleanup, more confusion, more chaos at times. But at the same time, you also have more hands to help out (that is of course, if you train kids to help out early on).
Some of the perks that I have noticed in our large family are:
(1)Kids are rarely bored, because they don’t have anyone to play with- With so many kids in the house, there are so many choices of playmates. They sometimes play in groups of 2, 3, 4, 5 or even all of them together! We usually never have to go out actively searching for playmates as they have each other to play with. But at the same time, they are very happy to have outside company also. Kids playing soccer, basketball or board games together are a common sight in our house.
(2)You don’t have to keep on finding things to do for them– They are creative in their own way, brainstorm together for activities to do, that I have only very rarely heard those dreaded words “I’m bored”. That has probably also to do with the fact that we never offer electronic devices as a ‘boredom buster’ or for ‘babysitting’ . We encourage kids to come up with stuff to do by themselves, read, or other activities.
(3) Lots of help around the house– This is in fact the greatest perk. With so many little hands to help out, and that too, with competition to do certain chores, it’s a huge blessing. One thing I also noted is that the younger kids naturally want to help out seeing all the older siblings helping. Some of my kids helped unload the utensils from the dishwasher at 11 months old, and transfer laundry at 1 year! Helping teaches responsibility and lifeskills. They usually have to help around the house out of necessity, and this helps them understand their value in running the house.
(4)There is so much liveliness and joy within the household. Of course, there is also more combinations of sibling rivalry, but for the most part, they get along together very well. It is joyful to watch them get along and play with each other. Sometimes it can get real loud, but that’s what earplugs are for, LOL!
(5) Kids learn to be much more independent when siblings are around. I have noticed that when all the older kids are away for some class or so, and its just the youngest 2 at home, they tend to be much more clingy and shadowing me all the time, than when everyone is home.
(6) Although kids from large families are better at sharing, and in general tend to look after each other, there is also sometimes the ‘survival of the fittest’ . This enables self-reliance and ability to compromise.
(7) Kids learn to mingle with all different age groups and are more sensitive to the needs of each other, and this promotes empathy.
(8) Usually by necessity, the older kids help a lot with looking after the younger ones, and this promotes sibling bonding.
(9) You never miss a particular stage of life, for a long time. With my first few, I would easily get upset when they are up with mischief. Nowadays, I find myself secretly laughing (well…. not all the time) at the same old mischiefs that keep repeating by the next in tow.
So you get the picture- more noise, more chaos, more liveliness, more fighting, more self-independence, more playing, more joy, more help, and more manageability. The more kids in a household, the more merrier!