Your Big Family is Only a Problem to Strangers

A mother out shopping with her three children took to Facebook with an open letter to a woman who commented on her number of kids. I am no stranger to this phenomenon. I remember when I was at the mall, pregnant with my sixth child, and I literally had swarms of old ladies around me asking about all the children. There’s no just blending in when you have a crew of my size.

There are a few ways I have dealt with the attention of having numerous spawn:

1. If someone says something negative about my choice to have lots of children, I don’t let it bother me. Whether someone has six kids, no kids, or one kid – they are all the perfect sized family. Everyone needs to remember that every woman is most qualified to determine how many children she will have. As I like to remind people: “mind your own uterus.”
    
2. People often make a negative sounding comment, but their intention is to let you know that you are managing better than they would in that situation. Remember the intent, even if they get the words wrong. I have a standard answer to “OMG – your hands are FULL.” I always respond with, “If you think my hands are full, you should see my heart!”
    
3. My friend once overheard two women talking about my life and how terrible it must be. I believe the words were “OMG – did you know that the woman who owns Mabel’s Labels has SIX kids and one of them is AUTISTIC!  HOW AWFUL!”  Here’s the thing: my life is AWESOME and I chose to have those six kids. Each one of those kids is WANTED, even the “AUTISTIC” one. Gasp.

The most astounding thing about this mother getting that comment in the grocery store is that SHE ONLY HAS THREE KIDS! MOFOMs (Mothers of Four or More) everywhere are laughing at the notion that three kids is a lot. I remember the days of having three kids as the calm before the storm.

Any big family mamas out there?  How do you cope with the attention - negative or positive - when out and about with your crew?

IMAGE SOURCE: ONEBLINK-CJ VIA GETTY IMAGES

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