The problem with big families is that they don’t fit anywhere.
I never thought about this problem until I experienced it, but everything in our society is designed for the family with 2.4 kids and a dog. If you happen to have four kids, a cat, a few kid friends, and a spouse, a lot of things get complicated.
For example, when my first child was born, my wife and I sold our six-month-old BMW Z3 convertible and bought a Toyota Sienna minivan. My driving experience has gone downhill ever since.
The Sienna was a great automobile, and gave us over eleven years of reliable service while enduring unspeakable abuse from my family. And it smelled all the time, too. However, once our kid count started climbing, we just couldn’t fit everyone and all of the kid paraphernalia, plus my tiny bag, in that van. So we went out and bought a full sized GMC conversion van.
Actually, my wife negotiated a good deal on that big monster. At the time we had a nanny with us from Argentina. In her country, the entire family would endure long journeys in a tiny compact car, luggage in their lap. When she saw our new van, she promptly dubbed it, “the Spaceship.” The name stuck.
You just don’t have many choices when your family is big. What else could we buy that fit all of us and didn’t resemble a school bus? Not much, really.
I have also discovered that you receive little condolence from others when this issue arises. You kind of get the feeling that they are thinking, “Geez, if it’s such a problem maybe you should’ve gotten that snip job a bit earlier, Bud.”
Buying a new RV for a big family is even more complicated. You’d be amazed how complicated.
RVs can be great fun, and the perfect vehicle for transporting a larger family. There’s no flitting in and out of hotels every night. Your kids can bring their favorite (small) toys and not worry about forgetting them in a hotel room. You can cook your own meals if you want. It really is a portable home!
However, purchasing an RV is not a project for the faint of heart. Tomorrow, I’ll talk about my family’s “adventure” in choosing an RV that meets the needs of my “army.”
Hugh DeBurgh, The Passionate Warrior, has dedicated his life to the achievement of the ultimate family lifestyle. You can find him writing about Creative Family Lifestyle Design over at his blog, The Way of the Passionate Warrior. Currently he is on the second leg of a worldwide travel adventure with his wife and four young children. His blog is at http://thepassionatewarrior.com .