As I sit and watch the Anne Curry interview with the mother who recently added octuplets to her brood of 6 (that's a grand total of 14 kids for you math whizzes and people living in caves), I feel my first baby move inside me. I am struck by how much this mother seems to love her children and can understand the fact that she wanted children, even many children.
When people find out I'm Mormon, many times their first question is "So how many kids are you going to have?" I'm not sure why people think it's ok to ask this question because I'm LDS. To sidestep the impropriety of discussing my reproductive plans with strangers, I ususally tell them I want to field an entire soccer teams...substitutes are optional.
While I don't know exactly how many kids we'll have in the future (I am focusing on the first one right now), I am grateful for the counsel of the general authorities of the church. Parents have been counseled not to have more children than they can financially, emotionally, physically, and spiritually care for. This decision is between husband, wife, and the Lord. I don't feel pressure because I know as long as I heed the Lord, everything will be fine.
Hearing this woman's story also makes me incredibly grateful for the structure of the family unit the Lord set in place before the world was created. While every family has challenges, the family unit headed by a married mother and father is the best way to meet these challenges and give children the best opportunity to thrive in this world and learn what they need for the next life.
I don't judge this mother's love for her children, but I do question her judgement. As much as people rail on her for being irresponsible (there may be a level of that), I know there are far worse parents in the world and far worse situations for children to come into this world. I just hope she can keep her sanity...
