It's been five years this month since our family grew from three to six. Coming from a family of four, I never thought I'd want a family so big - and children so close together in age. (Callie always wanted a brood - the number "10" was bandied about before we got married, and I pretended not to hear it.)
When we got the kids, I heard from a lot of close friends who congratulated me but said we were crazy for taking on this kind of load, this kind of commitment. I was a nervous wreck when we told the kids' worker, a family friend, that we'd take them in. Here's what I knew was at stake:
- Free time
- Weekends
- Money
- Sanity
I lost them all, of course. Every parent does. But here is a little of what I gained:
- A four-part chorus of laughter, several times a day.
- Excited screams when I get home from work.
- Birthday gift conspirators.
- Old haunts rediscovered.
- Waking up to four children existing in perfect harmony (most of the time).
- Soccer games and concerts.
- Existence of a just and benevolent God.
- A chance to be young again, and for days at a time.
If I had known all the work I'd put into parenting these children, I might not have wanted to do it. And I would've missed out.
Michael Caine was in a movie a couple of years ago - The Weather Man - and said a line that blindsided me. I've tried to live my life by it ever since. Goes like this:
The hard thing to do and the right thing to do are usually the same thing.
Exactly.
