big families
I Didn’t Have My Children to Make the Polar Bears Weep
Once upon a time when my husband and I announced our fifth child was on the way, a friend asked if we knew what caused that. (We now have nine kids). I told him I suspected it had something to do with my practice of washing my underwear with my husband’s. I regretted the snarky comeback immediately, but I know why I unleashed my frustration. The misconceptions, prejudices, and near-constant scrutiny of our choice to have a large family is tiresome and often grounded in ignorance. Only slack-jawed rubes from the sticks, religious zealots, or those taking advantage of the government and natural resources have large families, right? Sometimes, people who see our family assume all of the above. I’m thinking we should start carrying banjos and moonshine jugs around, just to complete...
