Skip to main content

Living the Rhodes Life

Our lifestyle isn't easy for everyone to understand.  Big families befuddle most people. Comments like.... Whoa! You sure have your hands full..... You know how babies are made, right??...... You sure you know what you are getting yourselves in to?--- these comments and more are showered on us daily.  Oh, and let us not forget the classic,  Five boys! Why didn't you adopt a girl??   We don't expect others to understand.  Everyone chooses their own path. We are not martyrs, we are not trying to save the world.  We are told by well meaning friends and family daily, that we "can't save the world." We know that.

I guess what is hard for us to understand is....why is it so hard to understand why we would do SOMETHING?  Just because you can't fix the planet by yourself, doesn't mean you shouldn't use less water, or recycle, right?  Just because I can't save every kid from a rotten life, doesn't mean I shouldn't do everything I can for these two particular kids.   Every time you volunteer to do something you are having a positive impact on something.  Every dollar you donate, or piece of trash you pick up, makes a difference.  This isn't me judging anyone else.  I respect that everyone operates within their own set of personal limitations and boundaries.  I just want the freedom to work within my own, without judgement.  I do not feel extravagant for having a large family, I adore having a large family.  I don't feel guilty because I couldn't buy my son a new BMW for his graduation, while I realize that would have made him happy-- I don't want to encourage him to need things like that to be happy.  While I love the idea of daughters, that wasn't God's plan for our family, and that is ok with me.



We work hard.  We love our children.  We give time to causes we care about.  We give money when we can. We trust that our children are learning what it is like to risk things for the sake of others or for the sake of a belief.  I know that every well meaning person who secretly or openly jokes about our lifestyle, is also doing their best to instill values in their own children.  Everyone is trying to live their best life.  Live and let live. Love each other. Come as you are. Be what you want to be.  No one needs to be on a pedestal nor do they need judgement.  Let's just all get along.  Is that enough cliche for today?  Peace out.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Quiet days of Summer- Ha!! Lol....

Summer is a wonderful time if you have the luxury to stay home with your kids and enjoy the slower pace.  Lazy days, pool time, reading, outings, and spending time at the beach is good for the soul.  If you are a parent who keeps your kids home with you vs. sending them to camp--- there is also a dark side to the lazy days of Summer. I know many Moms who say loud and proud, "I can't wait till Summer!! Oh yeah! Only 3 more weeks!!, Oh no! It's over already! We need a few more weeks!!" Are you one of those? Do you say it with a straight face? Ok, maybe you are sincere.  Bully for you, you win the Mom medal. Those are NOT my people.  I love my kids, don't get me wrong, I really do.  I love reading time, and lego time, and swimming, and picnics at the beach-- as much as any other Mom.  Let's get real for a minute though.  We can't play down the other side of life with kids. The constant fighting The whining The meltdowns (yes one of our guys st...
Post a Comment
Read more

It's Summer, bring on the Baby Oil and Iodine! Not!

I was a teenager in the 80's.  We were living in Southern Pennsylvania, where the Winter's were cold & icy, and the Summer's were hot and sweaty.  The first hint of warm weather signaled us to bring our the shorts, and baby oil. We were all about getting our tan on.  You either used one of those coconut smelling tanning concoctions, or if you were hard core (like me, and my girls) you used Grandma Helen's formula, baby oil and iodine.  We would slather that oily mess on from head to toe, squeeze lemons onto our hair (or later sprayed Sun-In all over it), grab the cordless phone, our favorite nail polish, and head out to the pool. Now as a parent, and adult, my first thought is "oh no! don't get all of that crap in the pool!". My parents tried, believe me.  My sister and I would still get right in, get on the float and get our tan on. You couldn't lay on the side see.  You need the water to reflect and make sure you got the ultimate amount of sun...
Post a Comment
Read more

Sunny Days

Some days I just wake up full of hope, and energy, and am excited about all life holds for us. Today is one of those days. I don't know why I feel that way, nothing is different from yesterday. The sun feels a little warmer, more people seem to be smiling, perhaps my imagination, maybe not. Tuesday is a super busy day for us, lot's of activities, practices, etc... --- so today is a good day to be filled with optimism, it will help me get through the tougher moments between 3-6pm. Driving, homework, dinner prep, more driving, all that good stuff. Thank you Lord for days like today, when my normal load, feels light. I appreciate the energy, the warmth, and the smiles. Amen
Post a Comment
Read more