QUESTION: What are you thankful for?
As a parent, I’m thankful that kids usually come one at a time.
QUESTION: Why are you grateful that they come one at a time?
With the first one you're like, how can I ever deal with more than just this one in front of me? I’ve even heard parents say, “how can I love another child more than my first one or as much as my first one?” That said, after you have more you find that you've got enough love to go around. I've now got five kids and I love them all.
"You find that you've got enough love to go around. I've now got five kids and I love them all."
QUESTION: How old are your kids?
14, 12, 9, 6 and 4.
QUESTION: What would you say is one of the most outrageous kid experiences you've had that made you grateful that they came one at a time?
My kids don't tend to destroy the world, but you'll find them doing crazy things.
Fortunately, they grow out of the busiest and messiest stages at the same time that others are moving into those stages, so it’s nice that they aren't all into the same craziness at once. Their favorite construction material in our house right now is cardboard, so when we get a box or several boxes, they just go nuts with razors and tape as they build stuff. It takes days to build and days to clean up. So, I'm always glad that there's only like two of them at a time that are ready to build a city out of cardboard.
QUESTION: Do you have any advice for parents entering the multi-kid zone?
Don’t stress out about your kids acting out or embarrassing you in public. It just doesn't matter. Don't sweat the small stuff. As I get kids that are of older ages, I just appreciate the time. I see that whether they are 14 years old or 4 years old, time moves too quickly. Love them and just slow down and appreciate the little time that you have with them. Impart what wisdom you have and make sure you have an open talking relationship with all your kids. It's been a great blessing to me.
"Love them and just slow down and appreciate the little time that you have with them."
QUESTION: With that number of kids how do you keep things under control at home?
That’s the other thing I'm grateful for right now is a house that's big enough for us to spread out when we need to cool off. That's been our latest thing to say, “you two are crazy, you're gonna go here for awhile and you're gonna go here until you both cool down”. We have a big backyard which is awesome. We say “go play on the tramp” and they do. They have fun and they are happy with each other. We just let them play outside and be themselves.
