In the latest issue of This Rock magazine the editor talks about the beauty of truth and she also mentioned a move away from stock art.
"For example we wanted a photo of a large family to go with Mark Lowery’s article in this issue. A search for "family" on numerous sites returned photos of or two perfectly groomed parents with one or two children. A search for "large family" yielded the addition of a golden retriever."
So I guess photo searches can now be used in divination of the attitudes of many Americans. Though I must admit to having the same attitude once myself where two children was considered filling your quota.
By the way the redesign of This Rock magazine is excellent and they have added more columns on Church History, Scripture, and a new department "Up a notch" to take apologists up a level.
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I just did a google search for ‘large family’ and it gave me quite a decent showing.
She should have googled for “Duggar Family”. That should have been large enough for her.
Whenever people find out we have three, they automatically assume that we’re finished.
Yeah, people are usually surprised at the size of our family, though I think the only time we’ve met anything like anger was when we were dealing with parts of the social services/school board. Half the time it’s admiration, actually. But then, we do live in Quebec, so they have memories but could never see themselves doing the same. But, given the circles we move in, we have met larger families (I’m the 2nd oldest of 10).
Big Tex– I used to get the same thing, for a brief period of time. Had a boy, then fourteen months later, a girl. People would stop me in the grocery store. “A boy AND a girl. How perfect!” Implication being, of course, you must be done now. The comments on how perfect my family was dropped off precipitously once I started showing with my third baby, who arrived fifteen months after his sister.
Now, of course, with seven kids, people practically have a stroke. Except the Mexicans, who are (almost) uniformly the most supportive of large families I’ve ever met. Some of them will still stop me in the grocery store, and tell me how they were one of eight or ten or whatever, and how even they didn’t have a ton of money there was lots of love in the home. Which is usually exactly what I need to hear if it’s been a rough day… 🙂
“World Domination Through Procreation”
Big Tex, can you get that printed on a bumper sticker?. It would look great on the back of a 15-passenger van!
Makes me think of my favorite cartoon: “What are we going to do tonight, Brain?” “Same thing we do every night, Pinky… try and TAKE OVER THE WORLD!”
Catholic pillow talk: “I love you so much, baby… Let’s strive for world domination…” (cue the groovy music)
Seriously though, it’s us versus the Muslims here. Everyone else is aborting and contracepting themselves out of existence.
All this talk of procreation makes me wish I was 25 years younger!
Of course you just can’t google a search for “large family” and come up with art that you can use in a magazine free of charge. They were referring to searches done on paid services that provide stock art that can be used without worries of copyright.
Lynne,
You’re never too old to adopt.
“World Domination Through Procreation”
Too funny — this are my husband’s sentiments exactly. As he puts it, “We need to breed out the idiots!”
If you’re looking for a good Canuck family alliance, call us in 15 years…. of course, that’s if the Lord doesn’t decide to call all the little ones to the priestly or religious lives (Lord willing!)
On the topic of obnoxious bumper stickers (is there any other kind) I’m still wanting to get the one “Overpopulation and overconsumption: these are my core values” for the back of my big, black, bad SUV. Sadly we are outgrowing it and will need to get “the big van”. sigh. Why don’t they make a hummer that fits 12?
It’s funny that you brought this up. My oldest brother has a big family. He married a widow with five kids and then they had three more. They now also have four grandchildren, too.
They’ve gotten their share of disparaging looks and snide comments. The funniest was when my sister-in-law went to the doctor for ultrasonic tests a couple months after the youngest nephew was born. The nurses came in en masse and my sister-in-law thought that they had found a tumor or something horrible. But it was just the newest baby. 🙂
I find a lot of irony in the people who don’t like big families. Some have been real child-haters who react the same way to a child as they’d react to a rabid rat. Ironically, they are the most self-obsessed and impulsive adults I’ve ever seen.
But there’s a lot of people who are, frankly, envious. A few weeks ago, I commented to a co-worker that my youngest nephew always looks forward to getting new clothes for Christmas, since he gets lots of hand-me-downs. She said, “Well that’s what happens when you choose to have that many children.” I didn’t know how to respond, but about a week later she was telling us that she’s trying to talk her husband into having another child – they have just one – but he doesn’t want to change their lifestyle. Or, as she put it, he won’t be able to have the latest and greatest tech toys. I suddenly felt very sad for her.
We have 8 children and counting. We love life in our home. My oldest one had a bad day at school she is 12 and when she got in the car she said i am so glad to be home. She spent the rest of the night just cuddling and playing with our 6 month old.
Though people are terrible – we have been qustioned by perfect strangers at the grocery store & recently at a funeral for my husbands grandmother. People I had never met were awful about our family & the kids were on their best behavior (they were close to her.) Even my husbands aunt commented when we all went to dinner on hope wonderful the kids were. MY 8 were quieter then the 2 kids behind us.
I wish more families would give kids a chance their are a wonderful addition to any family.
Shelly – Ohio
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