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Spinach and Birth Control

Doing my part.

By Bryan W. Fields

My husband and I have five kids, too, and people have actually asked us: "How did you end up with so many children?"
My first thought is "DUH".
My usual response is "How did you end up with so many teeth?"
I did not sit down and plan to have five. I had five because in my future, I saw heaping piles of dirty laundry, dead bugs in mason jars, empty gum wrappers stuffed under the couch cushions, and noise. A LOT of noise. Well, that, and my husband and I always wanted to live in a big shoe.
I'm a fellow writer, too, so I loved your article because I can relate to your situation (although only two of mine like spinach...with vinegar and salt, no less. The smell is reminiscent of old socks fermenting in a bowl of pickles, but tastes slightly worse.)
I write a humor column for my local paper called Life In The Palace, and have also written an article called Five Little Monkeys for Imperfect Parenting (under parenting category) in order to explain to those less fortunate (or less understanding) exactly what having so many children means.
Anyhow, I wanted to thank you for coming out of the closet. Most people with so many children choose to take the lying route,or use Catholicism as their excuse.
My husband and I prefer to think of ourselves as "sterilly challenged" or "horny".
Heidi Campbell

Posted by: Heidi Campbell | Jun 08, 2006 10:28

What a terrific article - having four children who love the extra animal parts other people usually throw out - and my husband and I have often discussed the possibility of our opening up a couple's retreat, for those who find themselves "on the fence" about how many children they will have.

GAH!

Considering it a public service, really ;o)

Posted by: Liz | Jun 08, 2006 11:41

Thanks, Heidi. I enjoyed your Five Little Monkeys article--wish I'd written it!
We definitely can't use Catholicism as an excuse; we're Mormons!

I have another essay about large families that you might get a kick out of. It's on my website under the "columns" link, entitled "Sis, You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet."

Posted by: Bryan W. Fields | Jun 09, 2006 02:02

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