Jesus is just all right, said Paige.
She said more than that. I can’t pass an opportunity to quote that song, though. Paige Hamilton writes on life as a mom/wife/foster mom and more on her blog, Tales from the Laundry Room. She debuted here on the CD during a six-words post.
I asked what we’d upgrade in ourselves, if given the chance.
Her response: “My upgrade: More Jesus, Less Paige.” We’d all fare worse with less Paige, though. If you haven’t checked out her blog, do it. She writes of life and love and faith, of the random happenings of every day and profound thoughts, too.
Today, she’s here to share a conversation with a random stranger.
Please give Paige a warm CD welcome. Be sure to check out her blog, too.
A Conversation with a Random Stranger
That’s a mighty big crew. Are they all yours?
Yes, they are.
Your hands must be full!
Yes, but I like to think my hands are full of blessings.
How many do you have? I can’t keep track!
Seven. There are four teens, one tween and two toddlers.
You do know how this happens, right?
Yep.
You must really love kids!
Yes, I do. Most of my favorite people are currently children, and those who aren’t were kids at one time.
What are you? A glutton for punishment?
Maybe.
Are you crazy?
Probably.
What does your husband think?
He thinks I’m crazy. But he’s crazy too, so we make a good match.
Has anyone ever said you remind them of the Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe?
Until just now, no one has ever been audacious enough to make that comment to my face. However, I have been accused of collecting kids like old ladies collect cats. In fact, if I remember correctly, my husband was the one who made that comment, and afterwards he slept on the couch for a week.
If you don’t mind my asking, why do you have such a large family?
That’s a great question! I’m glad you asked! The reason is simple: Big families have more.
More? More what?
More people.
Well that’s obvious.
You’d think, but allow me to explain anyway.
Big families have more people. More people means more birthdays to celebrate, which means there are more days each year to eat birthday cake. And who doesn’t like more birthday cake?
Well, I guess I never thought about it that way.
Wait. There’s more. Eating more birthday cake means there will be more parties. And a big family is a ready-made party just waiting to happen. No guest list or invitations needed!
Birthdays aren’t the only time big families have more either. We have more holiday fun. There are more stockings to stuff, more candy to eat, and more gifts to wrap. Of course, more gifts means more books, more toys and more games for everyone to enjoy.
I can see where big families have more when it comes to birthdays and other celebrations, but what about daily life?
Well, because big families have more people, there are more day-to-day activities.
Between library story time for the toddlers, swim practice for the tween, and 4-H or Key Club activities for my middle and high school students, I’m constantly on the go! Trust me, no one is ever bored. And, if someone suggests they are, then I just point them to the pile of laundry that needs folding. Problem solved!
Speaking of laundry, I bet big families have more of that!
Sure we do. Obviously having more people means there will be more work. All those people mean more towels to wash and fold, more socks to mate, more shirts to iron. It’s not just laundry either. There are also more dishes to wash, dry and put away after every meal.
How do you ever get it all done?
You forget. Big families have more people. So while there might be more chores to do, there are also more sets of hands to help get the job done.
Honestly, we are just scratching the surface of all the ways big families have more.
What do you mean?
The truth is big families get more of the best things in life, from moments of laughter to bedtime prayers. Parents of large families have more hands to hold, get more hugs, and give more kisses. What I’m trying to say is that in a big family, there’s just more love!
I understand. But still … that’s a lot of people! I’m just not sure I’d like it.
It’s certainly not for everyone. But no matter how you feel about having a big family yourself, you can’t argue that big families just have more.
Personally, I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
Bio: Paige Hamilton lives with her husband Jon in the heart of Louisiana’s Cajun Country, where they are raising their seven children, which includes biological, step and foster children. You can follow her adventures in parenting teens, tweens and toddlers on her blog, Tales from the Laundry Room. She also has a brand-new blog for women with PCOS, Hormonally Speaking, and is working on a book on the same topic.
Social Media Links:
Tales from the Laundry Room blog: http://talesfromthelaundryroom.com
Hormonally Speaking blog: hormonallyspeaking.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaigeHamiltonAuthor/
Twitter: @paigehamilton17
Just a dad ... 
What an interesting momma, full of love.
My husband says he agrees with you 100%! Crazy man … I love him, too. And I love your comment. Thanks!
beautiful! and so much more…
Trying to see the beauty in it this morning … thanks to an oatmeal masterpiece covering my dining table, the early morning artwork of two creative toddlers. However, even I must admit that the enthusiasm with which they cleaned up the mess and the hugs afterward made it worth it. Some mornings the struggle is more real than others. 🙂 Thanks for commenting!
The struggle is always real, Paige.
lots more.
Beautiful answers, Paige!
There is this meme aksing big families stupid questions like “were they all planned?” “Were you hoping for a girl/boy after all those boys/girls?”, and then there’s this column that says “the correct comment would have been: “lovely family!” Unfortunately I can’t find it now.
Anyway, so glad that more birthday parties, cakes, games, activities, laughter and kisses outweigh more work by far! 🙂
I know that meme! It is what I wish more people would say … after all, most of the time my children are with me, listening to the words we say. And I certainly don’t want my kids to think they are a burden or a problem! Thanks so much for commenting this morning!
People just don’t think …
Tamara – I think you should make your own meme with the top 10 stupid questions people ask, with the correct comment – we could distribute them worldwide. Laminated.
Definitely love her response here and still I hate when strangers have to ask questions such as this. Usually for me, I get all the time if my girls are twins and then that spans off it to a conversation about how close in age they are, as well as how difficult it must have been in the early stages of their lives. So, well answered and hats off to you for this! 😉
I can relate to the close in age comments too. My three biological children are less than 3 1/2 years apart in age (no multiples). And my foster toddlers are exactly 1 year apart in age. While it is hard, there is a big blessing in it too. Thanks so much for commenting! 🙂
It’s like having a brood or a flock.
People rock with their questions, don’t they Janine? Maybe I’m a curmudgeon. I also don’t like talk of Hump Day and TGIF. “How was your Christmas?” annoyed the hell out of me this year.
I realize this is a me problem!
I love this! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you! I enjoyed writing it!
Glad you liked it Katy.
Family is everything and this post beautifully depicts that! Thanks for sharing Paige!
I agree! I wouldn’t trade my family for the world … even in the worst days. Thank you for commenting!
I had such an urge to be near mine tonight. So glad I caved to it.
I thought it was a clever way to deliver the message too, Tiff.
I wonder sometimes what life would be like if we had more than 2. Her response is spot on.. more. It would be more. Parenting is challenging AND rewarding no matter how many you have or how close or far apart in age they are. Why do people feel the need to question it. Good for Paige to help the stranger better understand.
How correct you are! parenting is certainly the biggest challenge I’ve ever had in life, but also the most rewarding. It fact was tue when I just had one and has remained all the way though taking in our two foster toddlers, #’s 6 and 7.
I’ve thought a lot lately what one more kid would be like.
She and Tamara could teach a course in what dumb questions never to ask.
You definitely handled these questions with more grace than I would have, Paige. I would have gone with some sort of response about them being mutants that found your randomly and this is really an early stage version of the X-Men.
Glad to find you through this blog, and definitely glad you started a PCOS-centered space too!
I’ve had my moments of retorting with not-so-graceful answers, Holly! Thanks for following my blogs … I’m looking forward to getting to know you. 🙂
I really do need to write an answer to the question of whether I’m going to have to get a gun because I have three daughters.
I’d like to read that post too, Paige.
You two will love each other.
I loved your answer. I came from a family of 9 kids and people sometimes looked down on us or asked rude questions about birth control and stuff to my Mom. But I felt our family had MORE too–more love, more fights, more craziness, more laughter, more adventures, more joy. And as an adult now with 8 siblings, there is never time to be bored. So many personalities; so many chances to grow. I love it. I’d never thought of the more birthdays focus though–more cake to eat (we had lots of that since our birthdays were spread throughout the year.) Have a great day, Paige.
I’m glad you chimed in with your own positive experience, Charissa! That’s one thing I’ve noticed … I rarely ever meet an adult who grew up with lots of siblings that has a lot of negative things to say about their childhood. Most of them tell me they love having lots of siblings. I certainly hope it is the same for my children too! 🙂
Hopefully your children will have lots of children too, Paige.
I’m sure they will look back with smiles. You sound like you guys have a lot of fun.
I’d be down for more birthday cake for sure, Charissa.
Who wouldn’t, right?
It might offset the idea that I might have to share more pizza.
Hee hee. Yeah, there is that other side of it too. I remember my mom counting the meatballs and saying “Only two for each person.”
We’ve done that with tortillas and pizza – with just three kids, it says more about how we eat than how many we are.
Well, there you go. Tortillas and Pizza will disappear no matter how many people in the family. Not so with broccoli and brussel sprouts. Although my siblings and I became experts at making those things disappear in napkins or the garbage when mom wasn’t looking.
It’s been a few years since I was proclaimed the old woman in the shoe…by my own mom. That was a couple kids ago, so I’m sure she still thinks of me that way.
Thanks for putting into words what I sometimes word differently. Large families are not for everyone but are amazing! We have more of everything around here, too, except for space!
I think you should get more respect and consideration too, Jaime.
Eli, I get respect from a lot of people. Sorry for being a Crabby Patty. I’ve had my highly caffeinated tea this morning and have a much better perspective now!
Not crabby at all! it’s reality, and I know you’ve had a wonderful attitude in everything I’ve read from you.
I just looked at your blog, Jaime … what a gorgeous family! I love it! I don’t say this often because honestly it seems like another lifetime ago, but for three years I struggled with infertility. Growing up I was in love with The Waltons and dreamed of a big family. But then, for a period of my life, I just desperately wanted one child to love. Now I’ve got that amazing big family and I’m amazed at how God answered that dream. Not at all the way I envisioned, but my home is full and my heart is too. (And yes, I can relate to not having “more” space … ha!)
My mom says I used to want a family of nine so I could field an entire baseball team.