What one of 17 siblings says
"I talk to my friends and they are worried their family has only one child or two. They go home to nothing. I come home from school and I'm never bored. You always have something to do."
That's 18-year-old Dimitry talking, whose parents Vladimir and Zynaida Chernenko welcomed their 17th child early this month. In the Chernenko household, it's love and a big heart that overcome the sometimes daunting task of raising a big family.
I can't help but recall a remark made by a friend of mine who belongs to a family of 8 (or is it 9?). She and I were talking about growing up in a big family (I'm the youngest of a brood of 7) and she was relating experiences from childhood spent in her hometown of Bacolod (several hours south of Manila). "I always thought that the normal thing was for everybody to eat half a cheek of mango whenever there were mangoes around, because that was the way in our family," she recounts matter-of-factly.
We both laughed after she said it, amused at those innocent assumptions that children normally have. But we did agree that growing up with brothers and sisters around provided so many opportunities to learn and acquire the habit of sharing. When you don't have the luxury of having the bathroom, the TV, the telephone, the space (and the mangoes) all to yourself, and instead are taught to share and consider others in the household, it's easier to understand that the world doesn't revolve around you and your concerns. Learning to adjust (sans grudges -- or with less of them!) to other people's needs, not to mention learning to use the bathroom faster, are also among the rewards of growing up in a big family especially when parents foster the "love and a big heart" atmosphere that the Chernenko family mentioned back there.
Anyway, here's the full story about Mr. and Mrs. Chernenko and their welcoming their newest addition to the family:
Couple with 17 children says love conquers fear
A Ukrainian-American family that welcomed its 17th child on December 7 may be the largest in the USA, says the Russian language paper, The Speaker. Vladimir and Zynaida Chernenko emigrated from the Ukraine seven years ago and settled in California. The Christian couple admit that the work and financial difficulties of raising their large family can be daunting. But they overcome fear with "love and a big heart", says Vladimir, a security and maintenance worker for a charter school.
posted by sunnyday at 9:43 AM
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That's 18-year-old Dimitry talking, whose parents Vladimir and Zynaida Chernenko welcomed their 17th child early this month. In the Chernenko household, it's love and a big heart that overcome the sometimes daunting task of raising a big family.
I can't help but recall a remark made by a friend of mine who belongs to a family of 8 (or is it 9?). She and I were talking about growing up in a big family (I'm the youngest of a brood of 7) and she was relating experiences from childhood spent in her hometown of Bacolod (several hours south of Manila). "I always thought that the normal thing was for everybody to eat half a cheek of mango whenever there were mangoes around, because that was the way in our family," she recounts matter-of-factly.
We both laughed after she said it, amused at those innocent assumptions that children normally have. But we did agree that growing up with brothers and sisters around provided so many opportunities to learn and acquire the habit of sharing. When you don't have the luxury of having the bathroom, the TV, the telephone, the space (and the mangoes) all to yourself, and instead are taught to share and consider others in the household, it's easier to understand that the world doesn't revolve around you and your concerns. Learning to adjust (sans grudges -- or with less of them!) to other people's needs, not to mention learning to use the bathroom faster, are also among the rewards of growing up in a big family especially when parents foster the "love and a big heart" atmosphere that the Chernenko family mentioned back there.
Anyway, here's the full story about Mr. and Mrs. Chernenko and their welcoming their newest addition to the family:
Couple with 17 children says love conquers fear
A Ukrainian-American family that welcomed its 17th child on December 7 may be the largest in the USA, says the Russian language paper, The Speaker. Vladimir and Zynaida Chernenko emigrated from the Ukraine seven years ago and settled in California. The Christian couple admit that the work and financial difficulties of raising their large family can be daunting. But they overcome fear with "love and a big heart", says Vladimir, a security and maintenance worker for a charter school.
P.S. Got this via an email from my friend Gladys just now and had to put it in...
"When a mother of a big brood was asked how she manages to divide her love
among her little ones, she replied with a sparkle in her eye, 'I don't divide my
love, I multiply it.' "
posted by sunnyday at 9:43 AM
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