Life as a Desrosiers

In the beginning there was a man and a woman.... then the kids started to come. They kept coming, and coming, and coming! Today we are awaiting the arrival of our 11th child. People always look at us in amazement and wonder out loud, "How does she do it all?" The truth is, "I don't". Large family life is a different animal all together than small family life. Even if I wanted to, which I don't, I could not possibly do all of the laundry, the cooking, the cleaning, and the caring for by myself. I employ, first, the grace of God to help me in the duties of daily life. Secondly, I must employ the children. Each child has his or her daily duties which they are responsible for as well as their personal care. Mom does not pick up dirty laundry off of the bedroom floor for any of the children. If you want clean clothes, you need to bring down your laundry yourself. Every member of our family is responsible for a chore that effects the entire family. Whether it is to wash the table after meals, tidy up the mudroom, or gather the eggs from the chickens, each member of the family has a duty they are responsible for which effects the entire family. Some people today may think it's not fair to make children work as we do around the house. But Bill and I say "That is ridiculous!" Teaching our children to be responsible for themselves and to help one another is the greatest gift we can give them after life and family. Our children are being raised to be responsible and productive members of society.
Another thing we are teaching our children to do is to step up and help out with the needs of younger siblings. Not a child is raised in our house who can't change a diaper! In our family, you are expected to respond to the needs of others as they arise. If Tommy, our two-year-old, is looking for his chocolate milk, he can go to any one of his siblings and they will help him get it. If Dad needs help in the yard, you are expected to go out and help.
There is no allowance given in our home. The duties and responsibilities of family life are a family responsibility, and nobody gets paid to help maintain our family or our home.
Sounds like a tyranny? It's not. There is plenty of time to play and enjoy leisure time. One of the beauties of homeschooling is the speed at which the daily schoolwork can be accomplished. Every child knows what he or she is responsible for accomplishing that day and when the work is finished, the rest of the day is theirs. And when you're free to play, there are always plenty of "friends" to play with.
Large family life is noisy and busy and often cahotic to say the least, but there is a joy taht comes from life in a big family that can only be known by members of one. Having grown up with only one sibling, I am experiencing something I had never dreamed of and could never begin to explain in all its splendor and awesomeness!