Having A Baby

About the only thing that might qualify me as a farmer is the size of my family. Currently with five children (the oldest is eight), baby number six is on the way!! Most people just don't get it when they see the size of our family.
Most people assume:

a) we are some sort of stupid backwards farmers who have never heard of birth control (there's that city folk bigotry . . . ). I have a cousin who actually called us that! Actually I think her exact words were "uneducated backwoods farmer". I guess its better to your face than behind your back, but ouch!

b) we are some sort of religious fanatics who believe we have to have as many children as possible in order to keep God happy . . . another accusation from a family member . . .

c) we are horribly selfish people who just want babies and don't care about the the ________ (environment, impact on society, providing enough love to our children and lots of other things people use to fill in the blank here) . . . these we hear more when we are out in public.

The truth is that we know what birth control is (we did go to public high school in the 80's and 90's), we are both rather well educated, we know that God only wants us to have the number of children we are capable of providing (love, support, etc.) for, and we view our children as a gift to our family and to the society we live in.

I guess I'll leave you with this thought: When I am dead and gone, the likelihood is that my only legacy, the only thing I will have to give to this world and to make a positive impact on the future, are my children. The values I have taught them, the lives I have encouraged them to live and the spirit of generosity I have sought to instill in them. These are my gifts to the future. I see my duty to my country, to this world and to the future of humanity as intricately tied to this very weighty decision. This is the most significant way that I can live up to my promise to myself: Leave this world a little bit better place than I found it.

God Bless.