Answering The Critics

Guest Post from Cheryl Long at Treasures From A Shoe Box.

Cheryl is a homeschooling mom of 10 children and 2 grandchildren. She has been married 22+ years and says “Life is wonderful, when you have a purpose and follow the Lord’s plan!”

Please stop by her website to get to know her and her wonderful life.

Thankyou Cheryl for sharing your heart with us.

Answering The Critics

We’ve probably heard them all: the occasional negative comments, sometimes snide remarks regarding our family size. Whether they come from friends and family or from complete strangers, the message is the same; why don’t you STOP having children?! Here are our standard answers to the specific questions/comments:

Haven’t you figured out yet what causes it?

We’re not completely sure, but we think it might have something to do with sneezing

“Sneezing?!”

Yes, sneezing. You see, every time my husband sneezes, someone always says, “God bless you!” And He does!

Don’t you think your husband should get fixed?

Why? It is obvious to me that he isn’t broken! (Insert coy grin)

Don’t you think you’ve got your hands full already?

I will have more hands to help!

I think you need a hobby!

I have one, thank you! (Said with a wink)

Aren’t you concerned that having babies is damaging your body?

Pregnancy is actually very healthy for women. During pregnancy the ovaries get a nine month vacation.

How do you handle all those kids? I am going crazy with just one (or two)!

Having ten children is seriously easier than having two or three. They are playmates, helpers to one another (and to me), and good friends. Chores divided amongst many makes the work go quicker. And is WAY more fun!

Don’t you think having more children is unfair to your older ones?

Absolutely not! Our older children are some of the most responsible, diligent, capable people we know! Our daughters are learning to manage their future homes and how to care for infants and children. Plus, all the children learn character that might be more difficult to teach in a smaller family. Things such as self-sacrifice, sharing, putting others first. They learn that the world does not revolve around them.

Are you trying to start your own baseball team?

No. Actually, our goal is to raise up an army! (An army of soldiers for the Lord.)

Are you done?!

This one always cracks me up. The implication is that we surely must be done at ten because eleven would just be W A Y too many! *smile. I always answer that we are open to all the blessings the Lord would send to us and honestly, I would love to have another baby.

It never fails; every Sunday as we make the fifty minute drive to church on the highway, a car will pass by, with a wide-eyed, open-mouthed passenger blatantly pointing and counting the heads in our fifteen passenger van. Our children smile politely and wave.

Some people are genuinely interested in understanding why we would intentionally have a large family, while most are simply curious. Thanks to the popularity of the Duggar’s weekly program, 19 and Counting, many people have become more accepting of large families. In fact, we are frequently asked if we know them, or are trying to be like them. *smile!

With each child since announcing our sixth, we have experienced condemnation from some family members and a few friends. It is a mixture of emotions; to be blessed that the Lord would see fit to trust us with yet another child, only to be scolded by those whom we would like to rejoice with us. In the midst of dealing with various conflicts regarding our decision to allow the Lord to determine our family size, we came to the conclusion that though we love our families and friends dearly, we must not waver in our commitment to the Lord. It is His evaluation of our lives that counts. Though we are sad for those who are critical, their opinions do not dampen our joy. We welcome each baby as a gift from the Lord.