classylady

As a new missionary in the LTM (Language Training Mission, now the MTC), I was learning the discussions and came to where we testify to the investigator: "I testify to you in the name of Jesus Christ that Joseph Smith saw Jesus Christ and God the Father".  I had to stop and think, could I actually testify in the name of Christ to the truthfulness of the Joseph Smith vision and other aspects of the Gospel?  This was serious.  I couldn't just spout off the words if I didn't actually know if they were true.  To me, testifying in the name of Jesus Christ meant more than just belief.  It meant, I needed to know!  And, I needed more than just the faith and belief that I had.  Had I in the past had a strong spiritual witness of the truthfulness of what I was about to teach investigators?  And, I couldn't think of any.  At the time I was relying on belief and faith.
 
I got down on my knees and prayed for a strong spiritual witness.  I explained to Father in Heaven that if I was going to testify in the name of Christ to His investigators, that I needed more than belief and faith.  I needed to know.  It took more than one prayer.  It took a lot of tears and humility on my part.  But, I got my spiritual witness.  To this day I cannot deny that witness.  And, I was able to go out into the mission field with more than faith and belief.  I was able to go out in the field with knowledge.  I was able to testify in the name of Jesus Christ of the truthfulness of the Gospel, and of the truthfulness of Joseph Smith's vision.
 
For those who have never received a spiritual witness from the Holy Ghost, they may never understand how one can say "I know".  But, if you have received that witness, then you understand and it's undeniable.

Agreed.  Bogus.

I responded cos I wanted to touch on a couple thoughts but I had no doubts from the get-go this was bogus. I actually saw a similar post on FB... Might be a circulating phony story amongst some disgruntled members... Or just a troll having fun :)

Am I the only one who finds this story a bit over the top as it goes on? Seems someone's getting played and maybe not the bishop

If my daughter did this, even if she truly felt uncomfortable with the Bishop's interview, I would be so ashamed--ashamed that my daughter has no regard for authority or appropriate behavior.  Did I not teach her proper behavior?  How could I as a parent fall so short of my responsibility of teaching correct manners.  If this is an actual occurrence, and not some troll trying to get a rise out of us, I would be so embarrassed over my child's behavior.  And, I as a mother, look at my children's behavior as a reflection on me.  This is not a funny joke that she perpetrated.  This is just totally uncalled for and inappropriate.  I may rile a few people here, because I understand that children can go against their parent's teachings.  But, this behavior is not acceptable.  If the Bishop's questions were a little out of line, then she should have gone to her parents.  This sounds to me like she purposefully egged him on.  And recorded it!
 
I should probably just erase what I just typed and not post this.  I usually don't get upset over posts.  And, it's not the post that is upsetting me, it's the behavior of a 15 year old girl.  Not acceptable or funny!

When we say Bishops dont receive training is not totally accurate. I cant speak for the whole Church but, it comes down to the Stake Presidents and the training they give to the Bishops. We were always encouraged to make sure door not locked and to leave it partially open and to have someone sitting outside the door. That could be a councilor or parent or even a youth leader.  As for interviewing Youth I personally always used a different set of questions depending on their age. I am not crazy about having a Parent in the room with me while interviewing their son or daughter for two reasons. The first being I would be concerned with getting the young man or woman to open up and feel comfortable and the other reason is....I dont want Mom or Dad answering the questions for their son or daughter or trying to dominate the conversation.
   I have had some very good conversations with the youth when I interviewed them. There were times they told me things and would then ask.....are you going to tell my Parents?? I would reply No i am not....but I think you should. Had a few times where the youth asked if I could get their Parents and bring them into the room.
    Bishops are human and we make mistakes....these callings are hard enough as it is. You get more crap from members sometimes than what you got going door to door as a Missionary. If you have never been a Bishop you have no idea what its like.  The first time I was called I dont think I did a great job at my calling being new and learning what I was suppose to do. I never asked to be called either time, but I am thankfull I was called a second time and I feel like I did a better job the second time around.  Total combined years of serving both times was 11 years.

classylady, -- I also read agenda in the OP and the response and therefore have not engaged. I have also not engaged because there is not enough information. Unless we know what the bishop actually said how can we possibly assess its appropriateness? The OP stating that something bugged her does not tell us a thing. Either way, I find myself skeptical of the legitimacy of the report, and side with you on the inappropriate behavior of the teen. Ridiculous.

My husband and I had seven kids.  We had a mini van that seated seven though there were nine of us total.  Car seats weren't the law until the younger children were born.  Finances were always tight.  I did what I could to bring in extra money like babysitting from my home, or at times I worked full time.  I would put money aside on a regular basis so we could go on vacations.  It was a priority for me.  We managed to go to Disneyland several times.  A lot of our vacations were visiting relatives out-of-state or going camping.  When our oldest daughter graduated from High School, we rented a large 15 psg. van and went to Great Basin Nat'l Park, Yellowstone, Canada, Glacier Nat'l Park, Seattle, Mt. St. Helens, Oregon, and then down the cost of California to San Francisco and Sacramento.  Then back over to Utah.  It was a wonderful vacation.  And, I knew it was going to be the last one we had as a whole family.  A few years later when I went to work for a major airlines, my older children were already out of the house.  The younger kids were able to travel internationally because of my flight benefits.  We learned to travel inexpensively.
 
As for providing for the family:  Our home is a moderate 2400 sq. ft.  But, it has six bedrooms.  The basement was unfinished when we bought it, and over time we have finished bedrooms as needed.  Now, whether if we had two children or the seven, we would be in the same house.  So, mortgage would have been the same.  We had our mini van, and usually one other vehicle.  Church was within walking distance, and except for that and vacations, or driving to visit Grandparents, we didn't need to be all in one vehicle.  Food and clothing would of course be more expensive for a larger family than a smaller family. But, you don't need designer clothes to be well dressed.  And, you don't need to eat steak for every meal.  I learned to cook casseroles, which by the way, my husband does not like, but he learned to eat them.
 
Also, on the practical side of things, I did not over schedule my life or my children's.  We couldn't afford it for one thing.  They did manage to have swim lessons, piano lessons, and some of them played sports.  When we had some really bad financial problems, all lessons were stopped because we were unable to afford them.  But, I think my children would say, thank you for giving us birth, we didn't need all the sports, music, or dance lessons.
 
Is it practical to have a large family in this day?  Practical may not be the correct word.  It's do-able.  My son and his wife are expecting their sixth.  And both of them are attending school full time right now.  My daughter-in-law will be taking a short break after the baby is born, and then she'll be back in school.  Now, their children are spaced a lot closer together than mine were.  With most of my kids, I had a three year space and one four year space.  They have about a two year space between all their kids.  So, to me their house is more hectic than mine was.  Their oldest is nine, and with the kids as young as they are, they don't go through too much food, yet.  Just wait until they are teenagers!  Diapers is one of their biggest expenses right now, but that won't be forever.  They are struggling financially, but managing.  I think even if they had one or two kids, it would still be a struggle financially.  That's why they are both in school.  They want to better their financial situation.
 
For me, a large family was what I always wanted.  I came from a large family, and so did my husband.  On my mother's side of the family I have an Uncle and Aunt who had 14 children, another Aunt and Uncle that had 12.  As a kid, my favorite place to visit was my Aunt and Uncle's house with the 14 children.  There was always something happening, and it was so fun.
 
I'm not an empty-nester yet, but almost.  My home is so quiet without all the kids and their friends coming and going.  I miss it.  This week I've been able to watch my 16-month-old grandson while his mama is in So. Korea visiting her older sister.  I love the snuggle time with the baby.  I love his little happy dance when he sees me.  I love his fresh baby smell right after a bath.  I love it when he wants me to hold him.  I love watching him play.  I love to see the progress he has made, just in the week I've had him. These are things that I miss from when I was a young mother.  And, because I was blessed with more than one or two children I had the joy of seeing the magic of childhood multiple times.  Are children a lot of work?  Yes.  But, to me, so worth it.  Children are a wonderful blessing.
 My heart is so full with the love for my own children and my grandchildren.  I can't imagine not having the children that I had.  In some ways I wish I could have had at least one more.  But, by the time I was 39 when I had the last, my body had had enough, and I almost lost the last pregnancy.  We were so blessed to have had that last baby, and he has been such a joy.  And, I was attending college full time when I had him.  I don't feel like I missed out on anything by having the family that I did.  I would do it all over again in-a-heartbeat.

If my daughter did this, even if she truly felt uncomfortable with the Bishop's interview, I would be so ashamed--ashamed that my daughter has no regard for authority or appropriate behavior.  Did I not teach her proper behavior?  How could I as a parent fall so short of my responsibility of teaching correct manners.  If this is an actual occurrence, and not some troll trying to get a rise out of us, I would be so embarrassed over my child's behavior.  And, I as a mother, look at my children's behavior as a reflection on me.  This is not a funny joke that she perpetrated.  This is just totally uncalled for and inappropriate.  I may rile a few people here, because I understand that children can go against their parent's teachings.  But, this behavior is not acceptable.  If the Bishop's questions were a little out of line, then she should have gone to her parents.  This sounds to me like she purposefully egged him on.  And recorded it!
 
I should probably just erase what I just typed and not post this.  I usually don't get upset over posts.  And, it's not the post that is upsetting me, it's the behavior of a 15 year old girl.  Not acceptable or funny!

If my daughter did this, even if she truly felt uncomfortable with the Bishop's interview, I would be so ashamed--ashamed that my daughter has no regard for authority or appropriate behavior.  Did I not teach her proper behavior?  How could I as a parent fall so short of my responsibility of teaching correct manners.  If this is an actual occurrence, and not some troll trying to get a rise out of us, I would be so embarrassed over my child's behavior.  And, I as a mother, look at my children's behavior as a reflection on me.  This is not a funny joke that she perpetrated.  This is just totally uncalled for and inappropriate.  I may rile a few people here, because I understand that children can go against their parent's teachings.  But, this behavior is not acceptable.  If the Bishop's questions were a little out of line, then she should have gone to her parents.  This sounds to me like she purposefully egged him on.  And recorded it!
 
I should probably just erase what I just typed and not post this.  I usually don't get upset over posts.  And, it's not the post that is upsetting me, it's the behavior of a 15 year old girl.  Not acceptable or funny!

Bini, I don't have just the one child.  But, when I was praying about having one last child, I got a distinct answer "It's your choice".  I knew Heavenly Father would have been okay with a decision to stop if I felt I couldn't handle another child.  I also know he would have been okay with my decision to have another child.  My choice was to have one last child.  After I had him, there was no question that we were done.  I just knew we were.  I didn't need to pray about having another child.  I knew we were done.  This may not help in your situation.  Continue to pray.  I usually don't get clear cut messages when I pray, but I did on this one.  It was a distinct answer of "It's your choice".
 
Most families I know who have just the one child, the child wants another sibling.  That doesn't mean they make the decision for you, but most single children I know always wanted another sibling.
 
My youngest brother, after the birth of his first child, said "I don't think I can ever love another child like this one.  I love him so much".  Well, two children later, he has fallen completely in love with all three of his children, plus one step-child.

If my daughter did this, even if she truly felt uncomfortable with the Bishop's interview, I would be so ashamed--ashamed that my daughter has no regard for authority or appropriate behavior.  Did I not teach her proper behavior?  How could I as a parent fall so short of my responsibility of teaching correct manners.  If this is an actual occurrence, and not some troll trying to get a rise out of us, I would be so embarrassed over my child's behavior.  And, I as a mother, look at my children's behavior as a reflection on me.  This is not a funny joke that she perpetrated.  This is just totally uncalled for and inappropriate.  I may rile a few people here, because I understand that children can go against their parent's teachings.  But, this behavior is not acceptable.  If the Bishop's questions were a little out of line, then she should have gone to her parents.  This sounds to me like she purposefully egged him on.  And recorded it!
 
I should probably just erase what I just typed and not post this.  I usually don't get upset over posts.  And, it's not the post that is upsetting me, it's the behavior of a 15 year old girl.  Not acceptable or funny!

If my daughter did this, even if she truly felt uncomfortable with the Bishop's interview, I would be so ashamed--ashamed that my daughter has no regard for authority or appropriate behavior.  Did I not teach her proper behavior?  How could I as a parent fall so short of my responsibility of teaching correct manners.  If this is an actual occurrence, and not some troll trying to get a rise out of us, I would be so embarrassed over my child's behavior.  And, I as a mother, look at my children's behavior as a reflection on me.  This is not a funny joke that she perpetrated.  This is just totally uncalled for and inappropriate.  I may rile a few people here, because I understand that children can go against their parent's teachings.  But, this behavior is not acceptable.  If the Bishop's questions were a little out of line, then she should have gone to her parents.  This sounds to me like she purposefully egged him on.  And recorded it!
 
I should probably just erase what I just typed and not post this.  I usually don't get upset over posts.  And, it's not the post that is upsetting me, it's the behavior of a 15 year old girl.  Not acceptable or funny!

If my daughter did this, even if she truly felt uncomfortable with the Bishop's interview, I would be so ashamed--ashamed that my daughter has no regard for authority or appropriate behavior.  Did I not teach her proper behavior?  How could I as a parent fall so short of my responsibility of teaching correct manners.  If this is an actual occurrence, and not some troll trying to get a rise out of us, I would be so embarrassed over my child's behavior.  And, I as a mother, look at my children's behavior as a reflection on me.  This is not a funny joke that she perpetrated.  This is just totally uncalled for and inappropriate.  I may rile a few people here, because I understand that children can go against their parent's teachings.  But, this behavior is not acceptable.  If the Bishop's questions were a little out of line, then she should have gone to her parents.  This sounds to me like she purposefully egged him on.  And recorded it!
 
I should probably just erase what I just typed and not post this.  I usually don't get upset over posts.  And, it's not the post that is upsetting me, it's the behavior of a 15 year old girl.  Not acceptable or funny!

If my daughter did this, even if she truly felt uncomfortable with the Bishop's interview, I would be so ashamed--ashamed that my daughter has no regard for authority or appropriate behavior.  Did I not teach her proper behavior?  How could I as a parent fall so short of my responsibility of teaching correct manners.  If this is an actual occurrence, and not some troll trying to get a rise out of us, I would be so embarrassed over my child's behavior.  And, I as a mother, look at my children's behavior as a reflection on me.  This is not a funny joke that she perpetrated.  This is just totally uncalled for and inappropriate.  I may rile a few people here, because I understand that children can go against their parent's teachings.  But, this behavior is not acceptable.  If the Bishop's questions were a little out of line, then she should have gone to her parents.  This sounds to me like she purposefully egged him on.  And recorded it!
 
I should probably just erase what I just typed and not post this.  I usually don't get upset over posts.  And, it's not the post that is upsetting me, it's the behavior of a 15 year old girl.  Not acceptable or funny!

My husband and I had seven kids.  We had a mini van that seated seven though there were nine of us total.  Car seats weren't the law until the younger children were born.  Finances were always tight.  I did what I could to bring in extra money like babysitting from my home, or at times I worked full time.  I would put money aside on a regular basis so we could go on vacations.  It was a priority for me.  We managed to go to Disneyland several times.  A lot of our vacations were visiting relatives out-of-state or going camping.  When our oldest daughter graduated from High School, we rented a large 15 psg. van and went to Great Basin Nat'l Park, Yellowstone, Canada, Glacier Nat'l Park, Seattle, Mt. St. Helens, Oregon, and then down the cost of California to San Francisco and Sacramento.  Then back over to Utah.  It was a wonderful vacation.  And, I knew it was going to be the last one we had as a whole family.  A few years later when I went to work for a major airlines, my older children were already out of the house.  The younger kids were able to travel internationally because of my flight benefits.  We learned to travel inexpensively.
 
As for providing for the family:  Our home is a moderate 2400 sq. ft.  But, it has six bedrooms.  The basement was unfinished when we bought it, and over time we have finished bedrooms as needed.  Now, whether if we had two children or the seven, we would be in the same house.  So, mortgage would have been the same.  We had our mini van, and usually one other vehicle.  Church was within walking distance, and except for that and vacations, or driving to visit Grandparents, we didn't need to be all in one vehicle.  Food and clothing would of course be more expensive for a larger family than a smaller family. But, you don't need designer clothes to be well dressed.  And, you don't need to eat steak for every meal.  I learned to cook casseroles, which by the way, my husband does not like, but he learned to eat them.
 
Also, on the practical side of things, I did not over schedule my life or my children's.  We couldn't afford it for one thing.  They did manage to have swim lessons, piano lessons, and some of them played sports.  When we had some really bad financial problems, all lessons were stopped because we were unable to afford them.  But, I think my children would say, thank you for giving us birth, we didn't need all the sports, music, or dance lessons.
 
Is it practical to have a large family in this day?  Practical may not be the correct word.  It's do-able.  My son and his wife are expecting their sixth.  And both of them are attending school full time right now.  My daughter-in-law will be taking a short break after the baby is born, and then she'll be back in school.  Now, their children are spaced a lot closer together than mine were.  With most of my kids, I had a three year space and one four year space.  They have about a two year space between all their kids.  So, to me their house is more hectic than mine was.  Their oldest is nine, and with the kids as young as they are, they don't go through too much food, yet.  Just wait until they are teenagers!  Diapers is one of their biggest expenses right now, but that won't be forever.  They are struggling financially, but managing.  I think even if they had one or two kids, it would still be a struggle financially.  That's why they are both in school.  They want to better their financial situation.
 
For me, a large family was what I always wanted.  I came from a large family, and so did my husband.  On my mother's side of the family I have an Uncle and Aunt who had 14 children, another Aunt and Uncle that had 12.  As a kid, my favorite place to visit was my Aunt and Uncle's house with the 14 children.  There was always something happening, and it was so fun.
 
I'm not an empty-nester yet, but almost.  My home is so quiet without all the kids and their friends coming and going.  I miss it.  This week I've been able to watch my 16-month-old grandson while his mama is in So. Korea visiting her older sister.  I love the snuggle time with the baby.  I love his little happy dance when he sees me.  I love his fresh baby smell right after a bath.  I love it when he wants me to hold him.  I love watching him play.  I love to see the progress he has made, just in the week I've had him. These are things that I miss from when I was a young mother.  And, because I was blessed with more than one or two children I had the joy of seeing the magic of childhood multiple times.  Are children a lot of work?  Yes.  But, to me, so worth it.  Children are a wonderful blessing.
 My heart is so full with the love for my own children and my grandchildren.  I can't imagine not having the children that I had.  In some ways I wish I could have had at least one more.  But, by the time I was 39 when I had the last, my body had had enough, and I almost lost the last pregnancy.  We were so blessed to have had that last baby, and he has been such a joy.  And, I was attending college full time when I had him.  I don't feel like I missed out on anything by having the family that I did.  I would do it all over again in-a-heartbeat.

Oh thanks for bringing that to my attention.  I kept looking at it thinking something was wrong.  It's corrected now. :)

Having a large family is like any other valuable trial. It's hard, but it brings great joy. This is the gospel. We sacrifice, we give, we work, we suffer -- all to have joy.
 
I agree with those who say that practicality is irrelevant -- at least in terms of what most people mean when they say practicality. We should be wise in the size of our families. But if we're limiting our family size so we can afford vacations? Hmm...maybe the priorities aren't quite straight there.
 
In general, we should have as many children as we can. What defines "as we can" is up to the husbands and wives. But as a general rule, we should favor looking to increase our family size and sacrifice to that end rather than the other way around.

My husband and I had seven kids.  We had a mini van that seated seven though there were nine of us total.  Car seats weren't the law until the younger children were born.  Finances were always tight.  I did what I could to bring in extra money like babysitting from my home, or at times I worked full time.  I would put money aside on a regular basis so we could go on vacations.  It was a priority for me.  We managed to go to Disneyland several times.  A lot of our vacations were visiting relatives out-of-state or going camping.  When our oldest daughter graduated from High School, we rented a large 15 psg. van and went to Great Basin Nat'l Park, Yellowstone, Canada, Glacier Nat'l Park, Seattle, Mt. St. Helens, Oregon, and then down the cost of California to San Francisco and Sacramento.  Then back over to Utah.  It was a wonderful vacation.  And, I knew it was going to be the last one we had as a whole family.  A few years later when I went to work for a major airlines, my older children were already out of the house.  The younger kids were able to travel internationally because of my flight benefits.  We learned to travel inexpensively.
 
As for providing for the family:  Our home is a moderate 2400 sq. ft.  But, it has six bedrooms.  The basement was unfinished when we bought it, and over time we have finished bedrooms as needed.  Now, whether if we had two children or the seven, we would be in the same house.  So, mortgage would have been the same.  We had our mini van, and usually one other vehicle.  Church was within walking distance, and except for that and vacations, or driving to visit Grandparents, we didn't need to be all in one vehicle.  Food and clothing would of course be more expensive for a larger family than a smaller family. But, you don't need designer clothes to be well dressed.  And, you don't need to eat steak for every meal.  I learned to cook casseroles, which by the way, my husband does not like, but he learned to eat them.
 
Also, on the practical side of things, I did not over schedule my life or my children's.  We couldn't afford it for one thing.  They did manage to have swim lessons, piano lessons, and some of them played sports.  When we had some really bad financial problems, all lessons were stopped because we were unable to afford them.  But, I think my children would say, thank you for giving us birth, we didn't need all the sports, music, or dance lessons.
 
Is it practical to have a large family in this day?  Practical may not be the correct word.  It's do-able.  My son and his wife are expecting their sixth.  And both of them are attending school full time right now.  My daughter-in-law will be taking a short break after the baby is born, and then she'll be back in school.  Now, their children are spaced a lot closer together than mine were.  With most of my kids, I had a three year space and one four year space.  They have about a two year space between all their kids.  So, to me their house is more hectic than mine was.  Their oldest is nine, and with the kids as young as they are, they don't go through too much food, yet.  Just wait until they are teenagers!  Diapers is one of their biggest expenses right now, but that won't be forever.  They are struggling financially, but managing.  I think even if they had one or two kids, it would still be a struggle financially.  That's why they are both in school.  They want to better their financial situation.
 
For me, a large family was what I always wanted.  I came from a large family, and so did my husband.  On my mother's side of the family I have an Uncle and Aunt who had 14 children, another Aunt and Uncle that had 12.  As a kid, my favorite place to visit was my Aunt and Uncle's house with the 14 children.  There was always something happening, and it was so fun.
 
I'm not an empty-nester yet, but almost.  My home is so quiet without all the kids and their friends coming and going.  I miss it.  This week I've been able to watch my 16-month-old grandson while his mama is in So. Korea visiting her older sister.  I love the snuggle time with the baby.  I love his little happy dance when he sees me.  I love his fresh baby smell right after a bath.  I love it when he wants me to hold him.  I love watching him play.  I love to see the progress he has made, just in the week I've had him. These are things that I miss from when I was a young mother.  And, because I was blessed with more than one or two children I had the joy of seeing the magic of childhood multiple times.  Are children a lot of work?  Yes.  But, to me, so worth it.  Children are a wonderful blessing.
 My heart is so full with the love for my own children and my grandchildren.  I can't imagine not having the children that I had.  In some ways I wish I could have had at least one more.  But, by the time I was 39 when I had the last, my body had had enough, and I almost lost the last pregnancy.  We were so blessed to have had that last baby, and he has been such a joy.  And, I was attending college full time when I had him.  I don't feel like I missed out on anything by having the family that I did.  I would do it all over again in-a-heartbeat.

Late one Christmas Eve, many years ago, there was a knock on our front door.  When I opened the door, no one was there.  But, there was a huge box.  It was a trampoline!  There was a note that said Merry Christmas, from your friends.  I never knew who gave us that trampoline.  Anyway, my children loved that trampoline!  And, after many years of use, we eventually had to throw it away.  Not having a trampoline was just not acceptable to the kids, some of them older teenagers or young adults by now, so we bought another one, which has also given us many years of use.  The grandchildren are enjoying this one too.
 
This Mormon family has definitely followed the cultural phenomena of Mormon families owning a trampoline.  I can't imagine my home without one.

My husband and I had seven kids.  We had a mini van that seated seven though there were nine of us total.  Car seats weren't the law until the younger children were born.  Finances were always tight.  I did what I could to bring in extra money like babysitting from my home, or at times I worked full time.  I would put money aside on a regular basis so we could go on vacations.  It was a priority for me.  We managed to go to Disneyland several times.  A lot of our vacations were visiting relatives out-of-state or going camping.  When our oldest daughter graduated from High School, we rented a large 15 psg. van and went to Great Basin Nat'l Park, Yellowstone, Canada, Glacier Nat'l Park, Seattle, Mt. St. Helens, Oregon, and then down the cost of California to San Francisco and Sacramento.  Then back over to Utah.  It was a wonderful vacation.  And, I knew it was going to be the last one we had as a whole family.  A few years later when I went to work for a major airlines, my older children were already out of the house.  The younger kids were able to travel internationally because of my flight benefits.  We learned to travel inexpensively.
 
As for providing for the family:  Our home is a moderate 2400 sq. ft.  But, it has six bedrooms.  The basement was unfinished when we bought it, and over time we have finished bedrooms as needed.  Now, whether if we had two children or the seven, we would be in the same house.  So, mortgage would have been the same.  We had our mini van, and usually one other vehicle.  Church was within walking distance, and except for that and vacations, or driving to visit Grandparents, we didn't need to be all in one vehicle.  Food and clothing would of course be more expensive for a larger family than a smaller family. But, you don't need designer clothes to be well dressed.  And, you don't need to eat steak for every meal.  I learned to cook casseroles, which by the way, my husband does not like, but he learned to eat them.
 
Also, on the practical side of things, I did not over schedule my life or my children's.  We couldn't afford it for one thing.  They did manage to have swim lessons, piano lessons, and some of them played sports.  When we had some really bad financial problems, all lessons were stopped because we were unable to afford them.  But, I think my children would say, thank you for giving us birth, we didn't need all the sports, music, or dance lessons.
 
Is it practical to have a large family in this day?  Practical may not be the correct word.  It's do-able.  My son and his wife are expecting their sixth.  And both of them are attending school full time right now.  My daughter-in-law will be taking a short break after the baby is born, and then she'll be back in school.  Now, their children are spaced a lot closer together than mine were.  With most of my kids, I had a three year space and one four year space.  They have about a two year space between all their kids.  So, to me their house is more hectic than mine was.  Their oldest is nine, and with the kids as young as they are, they don't go through too much food, yet.  Just wait until they are teenagers!  Diapers is one of their biggest expenses right now, but that won't be forever.  They are struggling financially, but managing.  I think even if they had one or two kids, it would still be a struggle financially.  That's why they are both in school.  They want to better their financial situation.
 
For me, a large family was what I always wanted.  I came from a large family, and so did my husband.  On my mother's side of the family I have an Uncle and Aunt who had 14 children, another Aunt and Uncle that had 12.  As a kid, my favorite place to visit was my Aunt and Uncle's house with the 14 children.  There was always something happening, and it was so fun.
 
I'm not an empty-nester yet, but almost.  My home is so quiet without all the kids and their friends coming and going.  I miss it.  This week I've been able to watch my 16-month-old grandson while his mama is in So. Korea visiting her older sister.  I love the snuggle time with the baby.  I love his little happy dance when he sees me.  I love his fresh baby smell right after a bath.  I love it when he wants me to hold him.  I love watching him play.  I love to see the progress he has made, just in the week I've had him. These are things that I miss from when I was a young mother.  And, because I was blessed with more than one or two children I had the joy of seeing the magic of childhood multiple times.  Are children a lot of work?  Yes.  But, to me, so worth it.  Children are a wonderful blessing.
 My heart is so full with the love for my own children and my grandchildren.  I can't imagine not having the children that I had.  In some ways I wish I could have had at least one more.  But, by the time I was 39 when I had the last, my body had had enough, and I almost lost the last pregnancy.  We were so blessed to have had that last baby, and he has been such a joy.  And, I was attending college full time when I had him.  I don't feel like I missed out on anything by having the family that I did.  I would do it all over again in-a-heartbeat.

My husband and I had seven kids.  We had a mini van that seated seven though there were nine of us total.  Car seats weren't the law until the younger children were born.  Finances were always tight.  I did what I could to bring in extra money like babysitting from my home, or at times I worked full time.  I would put money aside on a regular basis so we could go on vacations.  It was a priority for me.  We managed to go to Disneyland several times.  A lot of our vacations were visiting relatives out-of-state or going camping.  When our oldest daughter graduated from High School, we rented a large 15 psg. van and went to Great Basin Nat'l Park, Yellowstone, Canada, Glacier Nat'l Park, Seattle, Mt. St. Helens, Oregon, and then down the cost of California to San Francisco and Sacramento.  Then back over to Utah.  It was a wonderful vacation.  And, I knew it was going to be the last one we had as a whole family.  A few years later when I went to work for a major airlines, my older children were already out of the house.  The younger kids were able to travel internationally because of my flight benefits.  We learned to travel inexpensively.
 
As for providing for the family:  Our home is a moderate 2400 sq. ft.  But, it has six bedrooms.  The basement was unfinished when we bought it, and over time we have finished bedrooms as needed.  Now, whether if we had two children or the seven, we would be in the same house.  So, mortgage would have been the same.  We had our mini van, and usually one other vehicle.  Church was within walking distance, and except for that and vacations, or driving to visit Grandparents, we didn't need to be all in one vehicle.  Food and clothing would of course be more expensive for a larger family than a smaller family. But, you don't need designer clothes to be well dressed.  And, you don't need to eat steak for every meal.  I learned to cook casseroles, which by the way, my husband does not like, but he learned to eat them.
 
Also, on the practical side of things, I did not over schedule my life or my children's.  We couldn't afford it for one thing.  They did manage to have swim lessons, piano lessons, and some of them played sports.  When we had some really bad financial problems, all lessons were stopped because we were unable to afford them.  But, I think my children would say, thank you for giving us birth, we didn't need all the sports, music, or dance lessons.
 
Is it practical to have a large family in this day?  Practical may not be the correct word.  It's do-able.  My son and his wife are expecting their sixth.  And both of them are attending school full time right now.  My daughter-in-law will be taking a short break after the baby is born, and then she'll be back in school.  Now, their children are spaced a lot closer together than mine were.  With most of my kids, I had a three year space and one four year space.  They have about a two year space between all their kids.  So, to me their house is more hectic than mine was.  Their oldest is nine, and with the kids as young as they are, they don't go through too much food, yet.  Just wait until they are teenagers!  Diapers is one of their biggest expenses right now, but that won't be forever.  They are struggling financially, but managing.  I think even if they had one or two kids, it would still be a struggle financially.  That's why they are both in school.  They want to better their financial situation.
 
For me, a large family was what I always wanted.  I came from a large family, and so did my husband.  On my mother's side of the family I have an Uncle and Aunt who had 14 children, another Aunt and Uncle that had 12.  As a kid, my favorite place to visit was my Aunt and Uncle's house with the 14 children.  There was always something happening, and it was so fun.
 
I'm not an empty-nester yet, but almost.  My home is so quiet without all the kids and their friends coming and going.  I miss it.  This week I've been able to watch my 16-month-old grandson while his mama is in So. Korea visiting her older sister.  I love the snuggle time with the baby.  I love his little happy dance when he sees me.  I love his fresh baby smell right after a bath.  I love it when he wants me to hold him.  I love watching him play.  I love to see the progress he has made, just in the week I've had him. These are things that I miss from when I was a young mother.  And, because I was blessed with more than one or two children I had the joy of seeing the magic of childhood multiple times.  Are children a lot of work?  Yes.  But, to me, so worth it.  Children are a wonderful blessing.
 My heart is so full with the love for my own children and my grandchildren.  I can't imagine not having the children that I had.  In some ways I wish I could have had at least one more.  But, by the time I was 39 when I had the last, my body had had enough, and I almost lost the last pregnancy.  We were so blessed to have had that last baby, and he has been such a joy.  And, I was attending college full time when I had him.  I don't feel like I missed out on anything by having the family that I did.  I would do it all over again in-a-heartbeat.

Consider for a moment that as LDS we believe in God, a Holy Spirit, and angels etc... All of which can be considered supernatural, all of which we believe can and does reach out and guide us from time to time.
 
We also believe in Satan, and his followers... All of which can be considered supernatural, all of which we believe can and does reach out and tries to influence us from time to time.
 
So the question isn't really can we have an supernatural influence in our lives... the question becomes what is the source of that influence?  And when you think about it then you can understand the LDS church's position.   Tarot cards, psychics and other such things may be nothing but a sham (most probably are) but on the off chance they connect to something supernatural.... well we have every reason not to trust source of such a power, because its not the way God tells us he is going to work.

http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/mormon-temple-building-process

 

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints released a video, an infographic and a detailed text description of its approach to building temples on the Mormon Newsroom website Wednesday.

 

The downloadable infographic provides an overview of the five stages: funding, site selection, design, construction and completion. The YouTube video expounds on these stages with comments from Elder William R. Walker, executive director of the Temple Department, as well as construction workers and others who oversee the process.

I'm not surprised. Seems like just about everyone here is into Harry Potter, Star Wars and all that jazz.
 
And why do you think they brought comic.com to Utah?  Because there is enough of a following to make it successful here too.