“My dad often worked away from home, and when he returned would send the kids out on the lawn to search for ‘silver forks’. Then nine months later there would be another child in the family! This was how I became the 11th of 12 children. Despite there being so many of us, we were an open home, where others would come to shelter or escape their own homes. My parents saw a lot of value in other people and also in the church, which sometimes compromised our family time. I learn’t a lot from my parents, and now I want to be the best parent that I can be. Learning to work together with my husband was a real challenge, we disagreed on how to discipline our children. So we completed a parenting course together. Now my kids are happier, and they can talk to me about anything, knowing that I won’t fly off the handle. Practicing the skills was hard as I would get distracted. The thing is, you can learn all the skills you want, but you have to put them into practice.”
