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aussieannie
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| Posted: June 29 2006 at 12:48am | IP Logged
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Don't need to feel left out of this board, The More the Merrier, if you feel you don't quite qualify - cause I think we are all probably being polite about it all, I am sure we really feel that it is morse-family code like this:
M - C
E - R
R - A
R - Z
I - I
E - E
R - R
and that is really is a secret support group!!  
Meet you here when you get to number 4!  
( Got to have a laugh, or we really WILL get m-e-r-r-i-e-r! )
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Under Her Starry Mantle
Spiritual Motherhood for Priests
Blessed with 3 boys & 3 girls!
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Erin
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| Posted: June 29 2006 at 5:23am | IP Logged
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I've been reading all your posts with interest. Great thoughts to ponder
Jen L. wrote:
| I'm sorry that you were made to feel like you were in a competition. |
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Jen
I really didn't feel in competition with my friend, it was a 'tounge-in-cheek' conversation. I should have used more emoticons.
Bridget wrote:
4-7 is a starter large family
8-10 is a large family
11 and up is a mega family
Of course that is meant to be light hearted. |
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Yep Bridget,
This was about what I was thinking As Macbeth said it is a matter of perspective, I guess as the oldest of eight I really don't see eight that large nor does my dh as one of seven. To us this is the norm.
On a humorous note I told my friend she was a mega family, but she is not convinced, thinks maybe someone like the Duggars would be but not her. It really is a matter of perspective.
Btw where is the picture on Bridget's post? I'm intrigued but somehow missed it.
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Erin
Faith Filled Days
Seven Little Australians
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Lisbet
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| Posted: June 29 2006 at 7:59am | IP Logged
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aussieannie wrote:
M - C
E - R
R - A
R - Z
I - I
E - E
R - R
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I've thought along those lines quite a few times!!
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Lisa, wife to Tony,
Mama to:
Nick, 17
Abby, 15
Gabe, 13
Isaac, 11
Mary, 10
Sam, 9
Henry, 7
Molly, 6
Mark, 5
Greta, 3
Cecilia born 10.29.10
Josephine born 6.11.12
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Jen L.
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| Posted: June 29 2006 at 8:51am | IP Logged
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Erin wrote:
I've been reading all your posts with interest. Great thoughts to ponder
Jen L. wrote:
| I'm sorry that you were made to feel like you were in a competition. |
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Jen
I really didn't feel in competition with my friend, it was a 'tounge-in-cheek' conversation. I should have used more emoticons. |
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I'm SO glad to hear it! It was actually your  emoticon that made me think that it wasn't a positive conversation.
Blessins,
Jen (who prays that I'll have a starter-large family some day  )
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cathhomeschool
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Texas Bluebonnets
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I get a lot of looks and comments with 4, even though we live in a pretty conservative town. And when people realize they are 4 BOYS, well! They just know I have my hands FULL... I still consider us "small."
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Janette (4 boys - 22, 21, 15, 14)
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Angel
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| Posted: June 30 2006 at 8:33am | IP Logged
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I have 5. I kind of think of us as a medium-sized family (4-5-6), but we're almost always the biggest family wherever we go. Add in infant twins, and I think that makes us seem bigger than we are .
--Angela
Three Plus TwoWild Things
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Karen T
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I had always wanted 5 kids (more would be great, too, but that was always the magic number for me b/c my best friend came from a family of 5 kids, and they seemed so close and happy compared to my 2 sibs and me)
We had many years of secondary infertility and are very fortunate to have 3 wonderful blessings. When I was growing up in the 60's and 70's, just about every family had 3, 4 or 5 kids (and there were few Catholics near us, this was just the averages for everyone)
I am amazed at the comments I've gotten just having 3 kids! One complete stranger in a store asked why I would want to subject myself to something so terrible (this when I had a 7 yo, 15 mo and was pg with dd). Another time, a bagboy at the grocery store asked me if I felt like I was living in hell, when I had all 3 kids (gasp!) with me. They weren't running around the store, the boys were helping load the cart and dd was a quiet baby in the babyseat!
I say congratulations to all of you with large families and those of you with not-so-large ones either. As much as I'd love to have another, I also am very content with my family now and feel very blessed.
At our previous parish a "yearbook" type directory was made, with family portraits taken. This parish serves about 1500 families and as I looked through it I was disheartened to see how few kids were in each family. Most had one or two, a very few had 3 to 4 and I think there was just one family who had 5, nothing larger. (Our new parish seems slightly more open to life, but I'm just going by who I see at Mass - I haven't seen any directories, etc.)
Karen T
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teachingmom
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Virginia Bluebells
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I think you need to define your audience. Our culture defines 4 or more as large. The Washington Post recently did an article on how my neighborhood is filled with larger than average families and examined why that is. Four was their definition of large.
If you are talking to faithful Catholics, I'd probably have to agree that 5-7 seems large and more than 7 seems extra-large. I'm not saying that 4 isn't large too, just that among Catholics faithful to the magisterium, 4 is probably more in the average size category.
MicheleQ wrote:
| It's all relative I guess. What's large to one family isn't necessrily to another. |
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I think I've shared my story related to this before. I grew up as one of 6 children and dh grew up as one of 10. When dh and I were first dating and I was in the "seeing if he was marriage material" stage, I posed a question to him. "Did growing up in a large family make you want to have a large family too or did it have the opposite effect?" (I loved being one of 6 and couldn't imagine having less than that myself.) He paused a moment and then said, "I guess I'd have to say I'd prefer an average size family." (He paused here and I disappointedly thought, "Oh, he only wants two or three.") He then went on to say, "If I had to place a number on it, I'd probably say 6 would be nice."
So yes, it's all relative. My "large" 6 was Joe's "average" size family!
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~Irene (Mom to 6 girls, ages 7-19)
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Molly Smith
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teachingmom wrote:
| The Washington Post recently did an article on how my neighborhood is filled with larger than average families and examined why that is. Four was their definition of large. |
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I saw that article, Irene, and had to chuckle. Not that four isn't a wonderful size family, and definitely large by today's standards. BUT, I live in a section of the (same) county with many, very large families. My good friend Joanna is expecting her 12th! But I know others with 10, 9, 8 and quite a few with 6 or 7. I feel quite dinky with only 5 and one-on-the-way.
I did appreciate the article, even though the reason these folks seemed to be having children was because their houses were big enough and the moms stayed home anyway (as opposed to simply accepting blessings from God), because it gave me hope in the generosity of the general culture--that "big" families aren't reserved for what many would consider bible-thumping-homeschoolers, that moms can and do stay home and raise families. I hope the article encourages more than a few couples/families to welcome more children into the world!
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Molly Smith in VA
Mom to seven beautiful children, ages 1-14
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Elizabeth
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They interviewed me for that article and I think they interviewed Irene, too. Neither of us were represented there. I think Molly nailed the reason. (A) They weren't looking for VERY large fmailies and (B) They couldn't figure out how to put the quotes we gave them (along the lines of MOlly's reasons for big versus the ones stated) into the article as it was written. We didn't fit their slant.
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Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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Erin
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| Posted: July 02 2006 at 4:22pm | IP Logged
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teachingmom wrote:
| I think you need to define your audience. |
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Very good point Irene,
I guess my audience that I was asking was what did 'we' as Catholic homeschoolers view large.
Irene wrote:
| I think I've shared my story related to this before. I grew up as one of 6 children and dh grew up as one of 10. When dh and I were first dating and I was in the "seeing if he was marriage material" stage, I posed a question to him. "Did growing up in a large family make you want to have a large family too or did it have the opposite effect?" (I loved being one of 6 and couldn't imagine having less than that myself.) He paused a moment and then said, "I guess I'd have to say I'd prefer an average size family." (He paused here and I disappointedly thought, "Oh, he only wants two or three.") He then went on to say, "If I had to place a number on it, I'd probably say 6 would be nice." |
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Irene,
This if funny, but it does highlight the perspective point.
Another anecdote; A young relative was discussing with me how many children he had considered having. " I don't want to have a huge family, like ten." So when I asked what he was considering, he answered, "Oh, I suppose about six." It is a matter of perspective, this young man is one of eight.
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Erin
Faith Filled Days
Seven Little Australians
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4Real Forums : Mothering and Family Life
Topic: How many children make a large family?
