Strong Christian women have told me they're thankful they only had a few children so they can give each one of them plenty of their time and attention. When they say this, I'm thinking, "Is this in accordance with God's Word since He calls children blessings from Him and blessed is He whose quiver is full of them?" I know that most children's FAVORITE gift in the whole world is when mom brings home another sibling so it just never sat right with me. I watched the Duggar family with 19 children, the Bates family with 19 children and the Willis family with 12 children and all of the children seem happy and well-adjusted so I could never quite put it into words why the sentiment of only having a few children seemed wrong to me until Kelly Crawford wrote a post about it.
She has 10 children and is home full-time with them. "I am home all day. I eat three meals a day, around the table, talking with my children. I read to them several times a day. I take walks with different children each day. Sometimes, I just sit and talk with one or two of them. When I go somewhere, I take turns taking a child or two with me. Sometimes we write letters to each other, being more open about our feeling through writing...I spend an exorbitant amount of time with my children because I have it and because I'm keenly aware and deliberate about their needs."
She doesn't scurry from here to there but stays home most of the time to be with her family. From everything I have witnessed, children from large families are very happy and well-adjusted. They are usually generous since they have learned how to share. They know how to get along well with others since they have been taught by their parents and practiced with their siblings. They are not nearly as selfish as most children since they usually don't get a lot of "stuff" and learn to give and take. They are hard workers since they all need to chip in to keep everything moving smoothly. Finally, they are usually godly children since it seems that mostly Christians are having the large families these days. They are usually homeschooled and don't need many playmates outside of their home, since they are blessed to live with many playmates. They don't get bored! The parents are serious about raising godly offspring for the Lord.
If a mother is present with her children all day, her children will have PLENTY of time with her. Therefore, she must NOT be watching a lot of television or spending a lot of time on her iPhone or Internet, which she probably wouldn't have time for anyways! She also needs to be careful she is not involved in a lot of outside activities that keep her away from home often, remembering she is called to give her life away for her family but Oh, the blessings she will receive in return!
As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man;
so are children of the youth.
Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them:
they shall not be ashamed,
but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.
Psalm 127:4, 5
