Would it surprise you to hear when I was 17 I told my parents I never wanted to have children? My Dad gets a good laugh from that now. Having 10 children certainly wasn’t in my plans, but when we plan, God laughs! And I’m so glad God planned for my life to be a mom of many!
When in public with all my kids (or even half of them) I hear all kinds of questions. So I thought it would be fun to answer a few here . . .
How do you do it? I’m tired at the end of the day and I only have one.
It’s awesome to have a child, and you’re understandably tired by the work involved. Just because I have ten doesn’t in any way make me a better parent than anyone else. If you had ten, you’d be doing the same things my husband and I do everyday, and you may do them better! We’re by no means experts, but what we are is blessed to be loved by our heavenly father who we rely on daily.
What age range are your kids? Boys or girls?
We have six girls and four boys: Blaze and Alex are 20. Noelle (or Elle, as we call her) is 18, Pheonix is 17, Megan is 16, Madi is 15, Jess is 13, Avarie is 6, Ezra is 5 and Marlee is 3.
Family fun fact – All the girls, including myself, have summer birthdays. While all the boys, including my husband, have winter birthdays.
Did you ever think about having any more?
Yes, all the time, but unless God has other plans for us, we’re done.
How do you make sure you spend enough alone time with each child?
This is the biggest challenge to having a large family – well, this and the laundry! Paying attention to every child and making them feel unique and special – the only way to do it is to make it a priority. I try to do one-on-one things with each of my kids. This is one of the many reasons I homeschool – it gives me more time with my kids. I enjoy working one on one with them and seeing the joy in their face when we learned something new.
Do you drive a bus?
Close, a 12 passenger van.
And lastly, my favorite - Are you their real mom?
Yes, I am real. I really love them, I really take care of them, I am real in every sense of the word. Did I give birth to them all? No. Some were born under my heart and some were born in it. We are very blended, very happy, and very blessed.
I hope to encourage you no matter what size your family is. Big or small, medium or extra large, we all need some encouragement every once in a while. So, stay tuned for more Full House, Full Heart!
About Crystal Bryan
Can’t wait to hear more about Crystal and her family.
Hi Crystal~~
This is a great….so happy to see you here……can’t wait to read more.
Hugs, Karen
We are also a blended family of some born under the heart and some in the heart. We currently have 9 with 2 more on their way by the end of the summer to bring us up to 11.
I have a cartoon hanging on my wall (Family Circus nonetheless lol): A woman is asking mom how she divides her love with all her kids. Mom says, “I don’t divide it, I multiply it”. That is exactly how we see it too.
Thanks for sharing your family with us. Love the photo!
I enjoyed reading about your family. I’m looking forward to next month already.
Love the intro article. Thank you for reminding those of us with 1, or in my case 2, that we’re not that different from those of you with many. I have many friends with more and many with less. We all have the same mom heart and the same mom mission. Thank you for your willingness to share your family with us.