Daily Living

I believe that to manage a large number of kids, you have to have routines. It allows you to get the important things done each day. Without them, you always feel like you are catching up.

A good routine will allow you to get done what you have to in the amount of time available, with the least amount of work and fuss. Usually it takes time and practice to work out the bugs and get things operating smoothly after a change.

You certainly get used to larger amounts of activity, and higher noise levels when you have lots of kids. You also may need rules in your home that are not so crucial in a smaller family.

We also have chores assigned, and pretty much everyone knows what their job is at certain times during the day. Mom may not have chores during chore time in a large family, because she may need to be supervising, and assisting whoever needs training.

Mom is pretty much busy from the time she gets up, until she goes to bed at night, and often in the middle of the night too. When I am that busy, I find joy in my children. Now that there are fewer of them, and I want so badly to have more but have to wait, I operate a home business. It keeps me busy too. But it feels like marking time. It feels nowhere near as important as tending a child, teaching skills, even changing diapers.