Weird things people say when they find out you have 6 kids.

Dental Hygienist "How many of your kids do you homeschool?"

People ask me if I homeschool all the time. Why should having six kids have anything to do with homeschooling?

"I saw that lady on TV with 18 kids."

Granted 6 is a lot of kids when compared with 2 or 3, but 18? That's 3 times what I've got. I just don't think that 6 is in the same category as 18. Even if I'd had one every year since I got married I'd only have 11.

Kids' Principal with very long, very impressive resume. I don't know if she has any children, but she is responsible for several schools in Africa, among other things, besides coming out of "retirement" to be our principal when the previous principal took another job at the last minute last August. "How do you do it all?"

Do all what? I baked cookies for Christmas and stuck a few in a bag for you. I don't do it all. The number of things I ache to do, but simply don't have time for are infinite.

Grandmas in the grocery store "What beautiful children. How many do you have?"

me "6"

them "I had 6 (or 7 or however many.)"

This doesn't actually belong in the "weird" category. They always seam a little wistful. Like they wish their daughters would have 6 kids, or they wish they still had their beautiful little babies tugging on them at the grocery store. These always make me feel better. They don't seem to notice the snotty noses or uncombed hair. They don't think I'm weird, or compare me to reality TV shows. They just think that children are wonderful.

When did 6 become a huge number of children? Why is 6 so many more than 5? Was it the minivan that decided that five kids was all any reasonable family would ever have? I like my kids. I'm glad I have 6 kids. Sometimes they make me crazy and I wonder how I'm going to survive, but we always do survive and sometimes we even have fun.

I want to be like those grandmas at the grocery store. I want to look back on these days with fondness and feel a little sad that they are gone.