Everyone with more than 2 children knows it is extremely hard to find a babysitter these days. And to find one for 7 kids well, you might as well ask to fly to the moon! Unless you have an amazing mom like mine, she would. Unfortunately my mom is almost 2 hours away :-( So it makes me laugh to hear these women, or men sometimes, talk about not being able to bring their kids to the store because they drive them nuts, 2 kids, HA. On the norm I am taking all 7 of mine everywhere we go, including the occasional Dr.s visits we need, yes all 7 kids in a tiny little office. That's just the way things are for us. We are all used to it, My kids and I do not know anything different.
I will admit there has been a handful of times when dad has watched the kids, but its rare, or he only watches a couple of them to make it slightly easier ( he means well but it doesn't really make much of a difference) I think from day one until now, my husband and I have been out on a date alone (we consider with only an infant alone) maybe 25 times or so in almost 12 years! This is our life and yes we are still in love and no we do not resent our children. No we do not feel as if we are missing out on some fun life, would it be nice to go out more to a movie or dinner, of course but it's just not that time in our life right now.
However a super duper BIG change has occurred in The Elkins home. We now have an almost 13 year old and a 12 year old and down. Every morning they are opened I am now able to go to Curves and workout for 30 min. or even run to the grocery, which is less then 5 minutes also and grab a few things all by myself! I have not been able to do that for my entire adult life. I would never leave for hours or go any farther than just a few minutes away of course. But I now know how glorious it is to have older children. I will never use my children as built in babysitters, but they enjoy the new found responsibility just as much as I appreciate it. It makes them feel big, they told me.
So when so many people want to act as if 7 kids would be so much harder than 2 or 3, they don't understand that they do grow up. It's not as if they stay infants and toddlers forever. At some point they do become more self sufficient people. I am so very thankful and appreciative of this new season of our lives with our children growing and maturing. Now if only they could stay this way forever. I don't know what we'll do when its time for even one to leave home, but that's a whole other story now isn't it.
I will admit there has been a handful of times when dad has watched the kids, but its rare, or he only watches a couple of them to make it slightly easier ( he means well but it doesn't really make much of a difference) I think from day one until now, my husband and I have been out on a date alone (we consider with only an infant alone) maybe 25 times or so in almost 12 years! This is our life and yes we are still in love and no we do not resent our children. No we do not feel as if we are missing out on some fun life, would it be nice to go out more to a movie or dinner, of course but it's just not that time in our life right now.
However a super duper BIG change has occurred in The Elkins home. We now have an almost 13 year old and a 12 year old and down. Every morning they are opened I am now able to go to Curves and workout for 30 min. or even run to the grocery, which is less then 5 minutes also and grab a few things all by myself! I have not been able to do that for my entire adult life. I would never leave for hours or go any farther than just a few minutes away of course. But I now know how glorious it is to have older children. I will never use my children as built in babysitters, but they enjoy the new found responsibility just as much as I appreciate it. It makes them feel big, they told me.
So when so many people want to act as if 7 kids would be so much harder than 2 or 3, they don't understand that they do grow up. It's not as if they stay infants and toddlers forever. At some point they do become more self sufficient people. I am so very thankful and appreciative of this new season of our lives with our children growing and maturing. Now if only they could stay this way forever. I don't know what we'll do when its time for even one to leave home, but that's a whole other story now isn't it.
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