Whenever I meet someone new and they discover I have seven children, often there is a gasp and “How in the world do you do that?” And then when they further discover, if time permits, that one of my children has a life-threatening illness, the question comes: “How do you cope with that?”
I suppose I should first make the disclaimer that this was, and is, a growing process for me. (Oh, and the photo above was on a very busy day serving at church. 
) I didn’t have seven children all at once (Whew! Go septuplet Moms!) My oldest daughter, now 21, became mine through marriage and was 8 years old when I became her stepmom. And though Taylor, my special needs daughter, was my first child by birth, we didn’t receive her terminal diagnosis until age 4. While the average life span for MPS, her disease, is 10-15 years, I’m very blessed to tell you that while she has many problems, they could be much worse. We are privileged to be celebrating her sweet sixteenth birthday in a few weeks, as God would have it. He is so gracious. My “younger” children are ages 10, 8, 7, 3, and 16 months. Needless to say, we have a hoppin’ house.
When others ask me “How do I do it?” several topics come to mind. Essentially, I believe this question is generalizing a load of questions.
Today I’m sharing a quick three answers, both practical and spiritual, to caring for large families and meeting individual needs. Please believe me when I say that I have not arrived, by any means. But after 16 years of rearing children and caring for a special needs child, and 12 years of being a stepparent, here are just three highlights that I believe will help you tremendously as a Christian mom.
1. Rely on God’s Word to feed you daily.
I cannot emphasize this point enough. God took me to the point of being on my own completely with my sweet special needs girlie and I learned to rely solely on Him. Not a church, not my parents’ faith, not what someone told me to do. My faith and trust for eternal life was in Him from the time I accepted Christ as my Savior when I was six years of age. But trusting God to meet all of your needs- physical, spiritual, emotional, etc. has to occur on a DAILY basis. Without time in the living Word, I find myself unwilling and too weak to be the mom He has called me to be.
2. Accept help.
This was tough for me! I love being able to do everything myself. I want to be the need-meeter. My tendency is to want that “S” on my shirt to stand for Supermom. No missing library books, no toilets left behind, no dirty couches (that’s the big thing that needs attention right now. ;0) ) The truth is: I can’t do it all. So I have to decide what is important enough for me to do and what can be passed on to others.
3. Focus on the positive.
My husband will vouch for this fact: One negative thought can send my mind into a swirl of negativity. When I allow Satan to get a foothold in my thought life, even with one “little” thought, then my husband and family are affected, not to mention making myself miserable. When facing heavy obstacles of life, weigh the circumstances and then purposely decide to look at the positive points of the situation. Once you see the positive, remain focused on it.
I would love to hear from our readers today!
What is one method you’ve found as a mom to persevere through either handling large family logistics or meeting individual needs?
Rachel- RachelWojo.com
Linked with TheBetterMom today
It’s so good to get to know you better Rachel. God blessed us with two children, and one of the best helps for me has been to embrace the differences of my children. They are not at all the same, and so we really don’t raise them the same or treat them the same. We love them the same, but God helps us to nurture each one as they need. And if I had seven … I would need a notebook to keep all those details straight!
Thanks for your comment, Julie! Funny- I do find myself writing things down quite frequently!
Thanks for the wonderful post Rachel!
Thank you Tara!
Rachel,
What great and practical advice for moms! Every one of those tips speaks to me on so many levels and I definitely needed the “accept help” one today!
You are so encouraging!! Thank you for the privilege of posting!!
Great info and encouragement, Rachel!
Thank you My Friend!!
Great reminder to “keep on the sunny side of life” by focusing on the positive – so true. Thanks Rachel.
So much to be thankful for!
Rachael,
How I love reading your post. My husband and I have a blended family of nine. His, mine and ours. Although we do not have any special needs children, we have had our ups and downs and crises and conflicts. I had a daughter and a set of twin boys when we married almost 19 years ago, and we have a set of twin girls who are 14. He had four girls. All of the kids are out of the house now except for the twins of course. I have raised kids for 30 years and I greatly fear empty nest since I know hardly anything else but raising kids. One thing I have learned is that without God I couldn’t get through any days! He is my sustainer. Of course a wonderful husband doesn’t hurt either! Parenting doesnt’ stop though. As the kids have grown and left, they have their own adult problems and need us from time to time, however they always need our prayers. My love has grown for them over the years and I have to stop and remind myself which ones I gave birth too, (seriously). I am looking forward to reading more of your posts, and am happy to have found your site.
Donna: Thank you so much for your beautiful note here. What a glorious thing to see how God has blessed your family! It is encouraging to read about your love for all your children and how it has flourished and continues to do so!
thanks for sharing your family with us here
My pleasure and privilege. Thanks for stopping by!