Togetherness...

As I see it, a large family lacks several things that the common man thinks are a necessity.

Some of those items would be a bedroom all to yourself, spending as much time (uninterrupted) in the bathroom, a couch to lay down on without having a sibling lay beside you-on you-around you, copious amounts of alone time, going to the dentist or doctor without having the "team" tag along, not knowing how to change a diaper or care for an infant until you have one of your own, and toys-computer games-and gadgets coming out of your ears.

To that common man, (or the nosy ladies in the grocery line, or the people who believe it is their job to inform us how we are doing it all wrong and should be ashamed of ourselves for having this many children and possibly wanting more), it seems a shame that we would deprive our offspring of these basic necessities. How dare we force our children to live piled on top of each other (without a television in their very own bedroom)...

What these people miss is that my kids, and most children that I have met from large families, are learning lessons that our world seems to have forgotten. They are learning how to truly share. They know how to be compassionate, loving, helpful. They must figure out how to get along with others. They are go getters that will not only care for their own families someday, but for anyone else that may need their help. They are cognizant of people who need a helping hand. They have learned that the world is not about "fairness". Through this, they are learning to be joyful in the good and the bad times. They learn that the world does NOT revolve around them.

Somewhere in the midst of all of this (what some people would surely choose to see as chaos) their parents are learning as well.

We are learning to truly love, not buy our children's affections. We are learning that time spent with one another is priceless (the cost can never be replaced by things). We are learning that ultimately God is our judge and no other opinions matter. We are called, as His children, to live to a higher standard than the standard the world has set. We have learned that God is concerned with every single aspect of our lives and he longs to spend time with His children just as we long to spend time with ours. He does not "buy" His children with gifts either.

He wants us.

Our time.

Our talents.

Our hearts.