I hope it’s not contagious
Posted by Isabel on September 26th, 2007. Filed under: Churchy Stuff, I Rock.Last Sunday I had to sneak away from church so that I could meet with three other women. The four of us are in charge of putting something together, so we met to further discuss the planning of this event. What we were planning has nothing to do with this story. How I’ve come to know these three women has even less to do with this story.
The four of us range in age. I’m the youngest and the two oldest are grandmothers. Two of us are American born while one is from Tonga and another one is from Samoa. One just graduated from college while working part time and also helping to plan her daughter’s wedding. Another one has a baby six months younger then Babboo. One is raising a few of her grandchildren. As always, I’m the only one that works full time.
We don’t have much in common. I can’t imagine that any one of them watch the same TV shows that I do. I doubt they watch as much TV as I do. I dress differently then they do. I look differently then they do. We probably don’t read the same books. I know none of them blog. Heck, one of them doesn’t even have an e-mail address. We could not be more different.
I sat there at this meeting and looked around at this amazing group of women. I couldn’t figure out how four women who, on paper, don’t have much in common could actually have so much in common. I was happy to be stuck in this little room with them. I was happy to listen to what they had to say and join in. I was laughing and enjoying myself. I didn’t want our meeting to end and us to have to go our separate ways.
Like usually happens when a group of women get together, we got off topic. We started talking about life and work and our kids. One of the women asked how Babboo was. I started to tell them, this group of other mothers, how much I enjoy being a mom and how much I love my own little guy. They just nodded because, hello, all mothers know what I’m talking about.
That’s when one of the women, the one with a baby slightly younger then Babboo, said she’s expecting another baby in January. I immediately looked down at her belly and told her I hadn’t even noticed she was pregnant. She gave me a little smile and patted her growing belly. I asked her to remind me how many kids this would be for her and her husband.
Again she smiled and said, “this will be our seventh.”
I tried to not act as shocked as I was. I mean, I knew she had a lot of kids, but hearing her say it made it more real. I had also heard they lost a child a few years back, so really this would be their eight child.
This women is an amazing person. And also, only two years older then I am.
We all offered our congratulations to her and her family. That’s when one of the women reminded me that she’s the mother of six grown children. And then the other women told us she’s the mother of seven grown children.
So while I enjoyed spending time with these women, I’m just hoping that being in the little room with them for so long didn’t make me catch their baby fever.
September 26th, 2007 at 4:25 pm
I think you should go home right now and hug that bag of 100 condoms.
September 26th, 2007 at 5:02 pm
lol, just don’t drink the same water and you’ll be fine.
It’s so unfortunate that we look for surface difference as opposed to concetrating on common ground. Like being all women, mothers, grandmothers, pregnancy. It’s so much harder but worthwhile to look for common ground, I wish more people had the courage.
I’m glad you enjoyed your time.
September 26th, 2007 at 5:19 pm
And, hopefully, you didn’t transmit it through the internets!!
September 26th, 2007 at 5:51 pm
My husband has nine siblings (two steps from each step-parent, three half brothers and two full siblings) and he’s always wanted a big family. I’m the oldest of five (but one passed away at three years old, so it’s mostly been a four child family) and I thought three or four would be PLENTY big.
Last night, he told me that three kids actually sounded pretty awesome and that, before his parents remarried, he always loved being one of the three kids. It was music to my ears
September 26th, 2007 at 6:19 pm
Catch the fever, everybody else is doing it. Be one of us…
September 26th, 2007 at 6:45 pm
Thank goodness for the 100 condoms!
I think it’s so weird how everyone around me is getting married and wanting kids SO young. It’s like the only aspirations women here have after High School is to get married and knocked up as soon as they possibly can. Of course I want to get married and start a family, but not right now. Right now my main goal is to finish school and start my career, and just enjoy my youth. Then after that’s done, I would like to start thinking about kids. But everyone treats me like I’m a freak because Shaun and I have been together for over 3 years and we’re not married. I hear it’s just a Utah thing, but I dunno. Either way, we’re doing what’s right for us.
September 26th, 2007 at 7:05 pm
wow. Thats alot of little people. More power to them. I have a hard time balancing 2 kids, work, etc.
You know, I read the funniest blog of a mom of 7. She’s hilarious. Have you ever read this blog? Hysterical http://www.notesfromthetrenches.com/
September 26th, 2007 at 7:15 pm
Holy moly… amen on the condoms!
Of course, I can’t yet fathom having one child, must less 6 or more.
September 26th, 2007 at 8:27 pm
Don’t become the Duggars…
I work with a guy who has 5….and they to see them all out stresses.me.out.to.no.end. I would so lose a child…
September 26th, 2007 at 8:55 pm
I hope it IS contagious!!!!
xoxo
September 26th, 2007 at 9:00 pm
I hope it isn’t contagious at least until you’re in your HOUSE instead of your apartment!
But yeah, 6 or 7 seems like a LOT. Two or 3 seems chaotic but fun.
September 26th, 2007 at 10:04 pm
I have a lot of admiration for parents who have many children…one just about does me in by the end of the day
September 27th, 2007 at 12:31 am
my husband insists that he is serious when he says he wants 6 children, to which i respond with “oh, hellllll no!” children are lovely little creatures, but i never want so many that i have to drive a church van to fit them all.
September 27th, 2007 at 12:50 am
In theory I would like to have 3-4 children (you know, when I grow up… not now!!) But when I think about having FOUR KIDS I can’t imagine how I’d manage. I can hardly keep my shit together with three cats.
How do people do it?
September 27th, 2007 at 3:08 pm
I say quality not quantity. Plus u and I don’t have a village / our mothers & mother in laws to help raise our children. Don’t feel u must measure up to them in how many children u have…
my sister in law is pregnant with her 4th child…quite shamelessly i would say…since her husband and her rely on the government, the church and my parents in law financially to raise their existing children.
u know what the Lord says….not only did he say multiply and replenish…he also said do a good job a it…many more times than i can count.
u are amazing and Babboo is going to be even more amazing.
September 27th, 2007 at 3:35 pm
I don’t know how I could have missed this before, but…..are you mormon or catholic maybe?? Who else has that many children?