Someone asked me why I have so many children. Here is the answer I gave: Children are a blessing from the Lord. Have you met my kids? They are awesome!!!
Here is what I want to say:
1. Have you met my husband? I just can’t keep my hands off him.
2. I am planning to take over the world and am raising them as my minions.
3. I hate housework. I keep having kids so that they can do all the chores.
4. Home security.
5. I am trying to raise the IQ in my home state.
6. They are my body guards. We spend a lot of money on martial art and gun training.
7. I am raising warriors for the Lord. If the church isn’t growing, it won’t be because I did not do my part!
8. Are these MY children? I was wondering why they kept following me asking for food.
9. We are going to keep trying until we get a perfect child (just for the record, Rebecca seems pretty perfect so far, so we may have a jackpot).
10. We get bored, so we have another baby.
11. My husband makes far too much money. I need a way to spend it all before we die.
12. I like 15 passenger vans. I think they are super-cool. You should see the radio I have in that thing!
13. I have an excess of energy. Since I have so much, I have to have lots of littles to keep me busy.
14. I like having a whole row in church. It makes me feel presidential.
15. I like a good challenge now and then.
16. I like experimenting on them to see which theories are true. I have a minor in psychology, you know.
But the real answer is:
God said children are a blessing, and like everything he says, it is 100% true. I love these children, young and old, and cannot imagine life without them. Each day I feel blessed to be married to聽Duncan Russell聽and to share these blessings with him. My children are wonderful, witty, intelligent, funny, and a delight. They also challenge me in ways that only children can do- helping me grow in faith and Christ-likeness.
Who says with six children I have a large family? Read here for my thoughts on that:聽http://www.homemaking911.com/2012/04/24/large-family-who-says/
I LOVE these answers (the real one AND the fun ones)! We have four (7, 4, 2 & 7 mos.) and get asked that same question at times. I just might use some of these next time. 馃檪
Just curious, what do you say when asked if you’re “done” having kids?
Devonne Bolin Scott Bolin’s favorite to the nay-sayers: We are doing our part to save Social Security. We love our big family, too!
May 31 at 2:30am 路 Unlike 路 4
Katie Borst Anderson We have “only” 4 kids (2 teens and 2 in their 20’s) but we take up a whole row at church with our daughter-in-law and our soon to be son-in-law…I love it!
May 31 at 2:32am 路 Unlike 路 5
Jennifer VanBreemen Love it…
May 31 at 2:45am via mobile 路 Unlike 路 1
Charlene Teson Nelson So well said.
May 31 at 2:48am via mobile 路 Unlike 路 1
Lori Soard It amazes me what people think it is okay to say to other people. It makes me want to lose all the Christian in me. You have a beautiful family and your kids are amazing. People should have as many or as few children as they feel God is leading them to have. We are all called to different things. I had two girls, but some days I kind of wish we had a few more. Then again, our life is chaos with two, so God gave me what I could handle. LOL
May 31 at 3:30am 路 Unlike 路 3
Theresa Little I only have 3 kids and I get comments about my ‘big’ family! I don’t get it! I know families with 8 and 9 kids! Why does it matter to them anyway? I love the “hands full” comment. I say, yes, but my heart is overflowing! I agree with Lori. A family should have as many children as God wants them to have.
May 31 at 5:11am 路 Unlike 路 6
Lori Lynn Lydell Ohmygosh Malia, that was hysterical! I read it to Todd before he left for work this morning and we were both giggling!
May 31 at 6:34am 路 Unlike 路 1
Ej Dollyhigh I have 3 only and I get the same looks and so on! Love you friend and pray for y’all!
May 31 at 6:37am via mobile 路 Unlike 路 1
Christina Russell Love #2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 14 & 16!!!
I’m so proud to be one of your minions!
And don’t forget you want to have a fully self-supporting compound and need us young people to run it! :;)
May 31 at 7:11am via mobile 路 Unlike 路 4
Duncan Russell Malia is being modest; #1 should have read, “Duncan can’t keep his hands off of me, because I am smokin’ hot!”
I love all of my children, and cannot imagine life without them.
May 31 at 7:31am via mobile 路 Unlike 路 14
Christina Russell Come on you guys… in public? Really? *gag*
Duncan & Malia
May 31 at 7:36am 路 Unlike 路 13
Norman Moore Hmm…. I always thought it was the water….
May 31 at 7:57am 路 Unlike 路 2
Sara Davis Woosley Awesome!!!
May 31 at 7:58am via mobile 路 Unlike 路 1
Tracey Fleger Lol! I might steal this. Did you make this up?!
May 31 at 8:14am 路 Unlike 路 1
Malia Russell Yes
May 31 at 8:20am via mobile 路 Unlike 路 1
Bridget Durbin Yes, my neighbor’s sister said to me yesterday, “are you Catholic or something? ” these things make me laugh out loud. I have 6 for the record.
May 31 at 8:20am via mobile 路 Unlike 路 1
Tracey Fleger I love it, and agree! May I steal this? Of course, I’ll put my hubby’s name in instead of yours.
May 31 at 8:20am 路 Unlike 路 1
Daniele Trapp This is awesome< I love it. I only have 3 kids and I get comments ike "you have your hands full" , I wish everyone could see that children are a blessing from the Lord. May 31 at 8:30am 路 Unlike 路 2 Lindsey Pritchard Oh my word, you make me smile so much! May 31 at 8:41am 路 Unlike 路 1 Paul Heitkemper "Yes, I know what causes that." May 31 at 9:26am via mobile 路 Unlike 路 2 Anna Heitkemper To the ones who don't seem to have a clue and are my age just a little older, I usually tell them that my kids will be paying their Social Security. May 31 at 9:27am 路 Unlike 路 2 Paul Heitkemper ^ hot chick with many kids. May 31 at 9:32am via mobile 路 Unlike 路 3 Susan Kemmerer Lol! Sharing! May 31 at 9:42am 路 Unlike 路 1 Dawn Loucks-Vogel 路 2 mutual friends LOVE IT! SO TRUE. I THANK GOD FOR MY DEAR CHILDREN EVERY DAY. THANKS FOR THE REMINDERS OF WHY I DO. (#8 is my favorite. Lol) May 31 at 9:43am via mobile 路 Unlike 路 1 Holly Tolman I think I may just have to borrow this! I've been getting it a lot the past few weeks as we are now in a new town and there are 5 little minions following after me. May 31 at 10:02am 路 Unlike 路 2 Adrianna G Blanco I only have only 4 and get the same questions (and some very rude questions at that) Gonna share May 31 at 10:44am 路 Unlike 路 1 Jenny Bailey 路 Friends with Sandi Queen and 5 others I think we oughtta just turn the tables on them. Ask them how many children they have. Why they aren't doing their part? Slackers. May 31 at 10:45am via mobile 路 Unlike 路 8 Lynette McLendon I love it! I'm one of 10. My mom got asked that all of the time. May 31 at 10:46am 路 Unlike 路 1 Anna Heitkemper I am truly amazed sometimes just how anti-life this country has become. How is it that folks should be judgemental to folks that have 3-4 kids, much less those of us with more. I started getting the "are they all yours" when I had 3 of 4 with me at the grocery. The mindset that no one should have more than 2.2 kids is really appalling and amazing, especially when these folks get to be grandparent age and have no grandchildren. I see folks with "I love my granddog" bumper stickers and I'm so sad for them, for they have a huge hole in their life and no way to fill it because of the anti-life sentiments that have saturated our culture. May 31 at 10:54am 路 Unlike 路 6 Monica Satterly I just LOVE response #5! May 31 at 10:59am 路 Unlike 路 2 Winny Vitug Love love response #2 & 5 May 31 at 11:14am 路 Unlike 路 1 Angela Zimmerman Hilarious! May 31 at 11:21am 路 Unlike 路 1 John Shankster 路 2 mutual friends By the time you meet your great grand children, you will surely understand how rich you are. It only get better. May 31 at 11:25am via mobile 路 Unlike 路 2 Mandie Lynn Love this! It made me smile, we have 6 kids and get all kinds of questions too. May 31 at 11:28am 路 Unlike 路 2 Vicki Ray You are hilarious! Liking it!! May 31 at 2:48pm 路 Unlike 路 1 Leesa Laymon Chesnut YOU CRACK ME UP!! Thanks for the laugh! May 31 at 5:29pm 路 Unlike 路 1 Laura Spinner Wilcher Awesome Malia! May 31 at 7:06pm via mobile 路 Like Betsy Layton 路 Friends with Mandie Lynn As some of you should get questions, that is, yes children are God's blessings as long as you can afford them. I love children with all my heart and soul but when some people just keep having them and cannot support or afford them that's when I say hmmmm. Maybe its time to stop. May 31 at 7:13pm via mobile 路 Like Lucia Schilb My sentiments exactly! May 31 at 10:14pm 路 Like 路 1 Malia Russell Honestly, if I waited until I could "afford" to have children, I would probably still not have any. The Lord has faithfully given us the means and the brains to support our children. They have not had everything we "wanted" to give them at all times, but they certainly have more than most children in the world. May 31 at 11:14pm 路 Like 路 5 Paisley Deb Pollock Hillegeist Amen@ May 31 at 11:21pm 路 Like Kamla Martin Amen! I may be headed in the same direction. I come from a huge family and I absolutely love it. 40+ cousins on my father's side and about the same on my mom's side - not counting our nieces and nephews. We weren't rich but we all managed and enjoyed every new discovery we had as a family with each addition - be it a sibling or a cousin. God ALWAYS makes a way. June 1 at 12:46am via mobile 路 Like 路 2 Betsy Layton 路 Friends with Mandie Lynn My father came from a large family also and I enjoy being around all my cousins, aunts and uncle. But really we weren't rich growing up either that has nothing to do with it. Sometimes enough IS enough. God loves all is children. June 1 at 6:21pm via mobile 路 Like Anna Heitkemper Betsy Layton, the most important part is that we are raising up GOD's children. He has just entrusted them to us for a short time. He will take care of his own, though maybe not to the world's standards. If he sends me a child, I will do my best to take care of the that child and raise them to love and serve God so they can be happy with God in this world and the next. If we supply a Godly, loving house with commited, loving parents, we can only help this world. Even IF society would have to pay for my kids now (which society isn't), they would more than pay back later with social security wages and taxes and someone to help take care of the old. The low birthrate here and in other countries in actually killing those countries. June 10 at 11:38am 路 Like