I was a child of the 1950's. I was brought up with the goal of achieving the Australian Dream....work hard, purchase your own home, and get a good career. Along came the Pill and Women's Liberation Movement of the late 60's and it seemed that at last women were in control of their own destinies – able to limit the size of their families and simultaneously pursue a career.
It was therefore not unusual to be greeted with astonishment when I became pregnant with my fourth child in 1982. I found many people were totally perplexed as to why I would even consider having such a 'large' family, especially as the oldest one was just six years old. Of course the optimum number of kids was two, maybe three.... but definitely no more! And so we embarked on a journey that was different in many respects to that of our peers. It has been, without a doubt, the most challenging, satisfying and rewarding experience of my life.
Fast forward thirty years....My four children have also embraced parenthood to the extent that I now have 11 grandchildren with 2 more due this year. Again I am the subject of curiosity as my acquaintances discover that our family now numbers more than 20. My children themselves have gone against the 'norm.' They have mostly married young, have begun their own journey into parenthood reasonably early and have only one partner earning most of the income. In the 21st Century it seems that 35+ is the most popular age to start a family once careers are well and truly established and mortgages secured. However, this does I believe, come with a down side - particularly for my generation. Many of my peers declare their eagerness to become grandparents while they are still young enough to actively enjoy their grandchildren.
I have to say that I feel very blessed to have such a large, growing family. On a recent family holiday, I was reminded of the uniqueness of each person in our tribe. The grandchildren now are aged between 1-8 and each family has developed its own particular characteristics and personalities. Variations in discipline, routine, styles of play, interaction, expression, manners, possessions, schooling and interests ...all work together to create a particular culture in each one. How fascinating - that from our own family of six, we now have four different families, each with their own unique flavour. This could be a source of tension as each culture can clash with another, especially when time is spent together. I am so grateful for the tolerant and accepting attitude of each member of our family, enabling us to have such enjoyable times together. There are differences... but there is also mutual love and respect. This is a snapshot, I believe, of how we are to live in the world with the people God brings into our lives. He wants us to accept others, just as He has accepted us, despite our faults and failings. When we know this, we are then able to freely live loved.
