A Musing Rumination: I am the Father of Four

I have 4 kids. It really isn't a surprise. My wife (who has her own blog) and I talked about how many children we would have before we were married. Her parents had 4 kids, my parents had 4 kids, we both said we would have 4 kids.

The trend, however, in the US is to have smaller families. The average in the last 50 years has gone from just under 3 kids per family to less than 2 kids per family. Larger families is becoming the anomaly. And many people look at you like you are an anomaly when you have more than 3 kids.

Stick Figure Family at FreeFlashToys.com

(And if I add that our kids are four and a half years apart, you might pose the question, "Have you figured out what causes that?")

Now, I assure you, saying you will have 4 kids is completely different than having 4 kids. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed with the task before me. I have a complete and utter appreciation for my parents and my wife's parents.

I believe ... the children are our are future. Teach them well and let them lead the way. Show them all the beauty they possess inside. Give them a sense of pride to make it easier. Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be.

I [also] believe that God has given me (and my wife) stewardship of these kiddos. And it is our responsibilty to "train our children up in the way they should go, so when they are old they will not turn from it". So one might wonder, as God is still teaching me about myself, how do I train up my children?

I have no idea.