Coming Up Collins: Why Bigger is Sometimes Easier...

While I'm waiting for some videos to upload, I came across a few reasons why bigger families can be easier, written by Matthew Archibold and posted on McKMama's website...I will make some notes underneath:

Why big families are easier:

Patience. I never have to teach patience. My children know that I can’t drop everything for them if I have a baby in my arms.

(Unfortunately, I don't think either of my children are old enough, or have enough siblings yet to understand patience and the fact that I can't wait on them hand and foot individually at any given time...but I'm excited at the prospect that perhaps this will one day happen!)

Work Ethic. My children have learned to work because there are always chores to do in a small house packed with little messy lunatics. And they all learn quickly that sometimes they have to clean up a mess even though they didn’t make it.

(I will agree that Ayris and Asher could fall into the messy lunatics category but I can only give Ayris props for picking up messes when she's not the only one to have made it. Asher is proving to be relatively lazy and nonchalant when it comes to tedious requests such as picking up after oneself...although, he (along with Ayris) is VERY good at clearing his plate off the table and pushing in his chair)

Humility. My children have learned it’s not always their turn. They’ve accepted they can’t always get their way because other people have to get their way sometimes. They’ve learned that some children are better at certain things than they are.

(I'm starting to think that my children need to be a bit older to have learned these lessons! As neither of mine can understand yet that it is indeed not their turn ALL OF THE TIME)

Foreign language skills. You can learn a lot of Spanish by watching ten years of Dora the Explorer that you just can’t pick up in two. And now with the Diego spin off I’m practically fluent.

(This one makes me laugh. I'm sure Chris has learned some Spanish by now...along with the entire episode lineup from the past 4 years. I honestly was thinking that with a boy, Dora wouldn't need to be such a staple but both children have loved it and still watch it to this day (Ayris being a little less interested in it than Asher)...none the less, I would imagine, as long as she's on air, we will have logged about 10+ years of Dora by the time we're done...Lucky US!!)

Laughter. The children have learned to laugh at the insane non sequiturs of younger siblings. They’ve learned that laughing just feels better when seven people are doing it along with you.

(This is proving to be true...and there's nothing better than hearing the kids laugh at one another and then joining in and laughing together about something that quite possibly isn't even funny to begin with)

Competition. Do I really need to go into this? Everything is a competition in big families. The children compete over who reads faster, who drinks their milk faster, who gets to the bathroom first…etc. Everything is a competition and they’re all keeping score.

(I actually could do without this one...but it's definitely true...especially with Ayris...she's keeping track down to the amount of Jello she's getting versus Asher...she always wants more and has to be the first...otherwise, there is a complete meltdown on her part. Luckily, Asher is pretty laid back and lets her get away with it...for the MOST part)

Balance. The floor of the front room of my home is a minefield of toys and childhood paraphernalia. Just walking through the room requires great skill and balance. I’m absolutely convinced my two year old will be a favorite for Gold on the balance beam in the 2016 Olympics. (She might have to lay off the cookies a little but I’ll deal with that later.)

Life isn’t fair. Sometimes you just give it to the baby because you want a little quiet. Not all the time. But sometimes.

(This one is true too, unfortunately. Ayris gets the shaft a lot...I've told Chris a hundred times that she has the absolute worst spot in the family as far as I'm concerned...being female AND the oldest??? The expectations for her will always be impossibly high...and I admit that she has more responsibilities and is blamed more and is expected of more than Asher...which is definitely not fair...at all)

Just say “No.” Being able to say “no” may be the most undervalued skill in this world. The need to be liked is pervasive. The need to be cool even more so. Having brothers and sisters teaches children to say “no” about 143 times a day. It’s a good skill.

(This one made me smile too. I can't tell you how many times the word NO flies around this house...when you count myself, Chris, Ayris and Asher all saying it, we might just be up to 143 times a day with just the 4 of us!)

Praying. They learn that nothing beats praying together as a family.

Nature/Nurture. Having many children has taught me that nature has a lot more to do with who my kids are than nurture. This is helpful, especially when your children misbehave you don’t have to feel bad about it. Just say “Stupid nature!!!” and blame your spouse’s genes.

Namecalling. You can occasionally call your child by the wrong name and still not be considered a terrible parent. They know who you mean just from your tone. Sometimes if you need something done you can call the wrong name and someone will still show up. That helps.

(I liked this one too and I don't feel too bad about calling Ayris, Asher and vice versa because on many occasions Ayris will start with "Grand.., Dad, I mean, MOM" before she gets the right person...and I like the idea that having more kids means that someone might actually show up, regardless of whether or not, it was the one you intended to have there)

Spying. My children have learned that they can’t get away with anything. I have spies who look a lot like them who are willing to drop the dime on them for anything. Even at school I’ve got a child in just about every grade. If they do something I’ll hear. That keeps them nervous. And I like keeping my kids a little nervous.

(I can only hope this one proves true. I've joked about moving to the Farmington school district just so Chris' mom could be on the lookout too...what child would be misbehaving if their grandmother were walking the halls? Especially one that serves as the school psychologist too??)

Friendship. The children have many friends. They’ve got girly friends, crying friends, fun loving friends, consoling friends, and crazy friends. And they all have the same last name. And they’ll be there forever for each other. No matter what.

Love. I think my children have learned to love because there are others around them to love and who love them. I honestly can think of no better way to teach children to love than siblings.

(These last two are obviously my favorites...although all of the kids will have their own group of friends, the idea that they'll have their own built in brothers and sisters who will always be there...I can't think of anything better. It doesn't matter how much Ayris and Asher fight on any given day...and some days, it's ALOT...at the end of it, they love each other and miss one another when the other is gone)

And now, here are the videos I was uploading. Baby Collins was going nuts in my stomach this morning...sure enough when I pulled the camera out, he stopped but I did get a little bit. This first video is of Asher trying to feed the baby fruit snacks to get him to wake up...and the last part at the end where it sounds like "Spraying"...yeah, he had just helped himself to some more I can't believe its not butter...I managed to hide it for about all of three days...but now that he knows it's there, he's been making daily trips into the kitchen. In the first video there's no movement in my stomach but in the second one...there's some in the very beginning and then more at the end of the clip.