Question 13: How do you have time for all your kids?

The simple answer is that it is all that we do.  And I mean it.  Many other parents work outside the home, have hobbies, go work out at the gym, etc.  We do not.  That is ok, there is nothing (usually) that we would rather be doing then being with our family. 

The typical family in America has 2 full time working parents.  Assuming that those parents pick up their kids at 6pm and put them to bed at 8pm, they only have 2 hours to spend time with their kids, do homework, clean the house, run errands, return phone calls, attend extra-curricular activities, etc.  Add to that book club, golfing, poker night, and anything else the parents are involved in and there is really not much family time.

Our household is very different.  My husband works from home and therefore does not spend any time commuting.  He has breakfast, lunch and dinner with his kids.  He is off earlier then most dads and just walks up the stairs instead of sitting in traffic.  He is also available when the kids get home from school to hear about their day and see their amazing projects.  He helps get everyone ready for school, attends their school activities and is available to them in the evenings.  The only thing my hubby does outside of the family life as a hobby is play basketball for an hour on Saturday morning.  There is just no hobby that is more appealing to him then his family.

I am a stay at home mom.  I do not work outside the home.  My life is dedicated to raising my children.  I do not have hobbies that do not involve my family.  I may have 8 children (soon to be 10) but I have a full 14 hours a day (the time they are awake) to make sure they all get the attention they need.

Don't get me wrong, some days are just plain hard to make sure everyone gets a piece of mom's heart.  Some days I am sick or super busy or just grumpy, like any other woman.  But overall, I think my kids get plenty of parental attention. 

My children are also raised to do many things for themselves which helps a lot.  I know that my role is to raise my children to be independent adults.  How can I do that, if I hover and do everything for them?  By the time they are 18, my children who are intellectually and physically capable, should be able to do EVERYTHING themselves.  This teaching cannot begin at 17.  It takes an entire childhood to teach our children all the independent skills they will need to be successful adults.  By the time my kids are 6, they know how to do chores, make meals, pick out clothes, get ready for the day, practice their piano, do their homework, etc, all independently.  Not only does this give me much more time, but it is helping them to be self-reliant humans.

It always boggles my mind that people think that it is impossible to raise 10 kids effectively but they have no problem sending their children all day to a classroom with 1 teacher and 30 kids.  Our ratio is much better ;).

Raising a large family requires a tremendous amout of time and sacrifice but for us, it is soooooooooo worth it!