Up to and including five kids is what I would consider a ” big family ” to be. Anything beyond that, and you go from rearing children to raising a litter of wild animals.
I don’t understand it, but I can at least respect it . Which is a lot more than most can say after this mother of 11 was slammed on social media for not using contraception .
There has been a stark decline in childbirths across the United States in recent years.
The current birth rate is at an all-time low. In 2020, roughly 3.6 million babies were born — marking a 4% decline from the year prior. For comparison’s sake, it barely equals half of what the birth rate was in the 1960s.
As a result, the average household size across the country has been slowly dwindling.
It varies from state to state, but the national average sits right below three people per household . In a nutshell, this means is that the current generation isn’t birthing enough babies to subsequently replace itself.
But in any group of statistics, there are always outliers — such as married couple Courtney and Chris Rogers.
On the surface, Courtney and Chris look like any other married thirty-something couple, but once you step inside their home — you quickly realize their lives are anything but ordinary.
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That’s because Courtney and Chris are the proud parents of 11 children, all under the age of 11.
If you think that’s wild, Courtney is currently pregnant with her 12th child! According to a statement given to The New York post , Courtney has been pregnant every year since 2008!
What’s even more incredulous is that Courtney was a virgin before marrying her pastor husband, Chris.
That’s what I call making up for lost time! Not surprisingly, Courtney said that she’d always dreamed of having kids, although admittedly she never had a specific number in mind.
“My husband suggested 10 like his mom. After 10 arrived, I still felt young, so we went for ‘Cheaper By The Dozen’,” she said.
Almost as large as Courtney’s family is her social media following, which boasts over 31K followers on Instagram alone. The large audience is mainly a positive one, although Courtney admits she does get her fair share of trolls.
Courtney told ‘The New York Post’ that she receives plenty of judgment and hurtful comments.
“They don’t like large families or accuse us of not providing for them. It doesn’t really bother me because I know they’re strangers and don’t know us at all,” she explained .
Understandably, Courtney has bigger things to worry about — like homeschooling her kids.
“I’m a stay-at-home homeschooling mom,” Courtney said . “We also have a small farm we’re working on expanding.”
The farm Courtney mentioned allows her family to grow their own fruits/veggies, and raise some of their own meat and eggs.
Despite being self-sustained (in-part), Courtney still spends on average between $400-$500 per week on food.
With so many mouths to feed, one of the ways that Courtney and Chris are able to curb their spending is by not going crazy during Christmas time.
“Including Christmas presents, PJs, and outfits, we usually spend around $2,000 to $3,000 on Christmas,” she said .
Courtney also told how she and Chris don’t exchange gifts — that it’s all for the kids.
The kids are each given a new pair of pajamas to wear to bed on Christmas Eve. On Christmas morning, everyone comes downstairs and opens their stockings as a family.
“The hubby then reads the Nativity story from the Bible and then we open gifts,” Courtney said.
From that point on, the house becomes filled with all the sights, sounds, and smells of Christmas. When asked what she and Chris typically prepare for Christmas dinner, Courtney emphatically replied ” Mexican food !”
So to Courtney and Chris — good luck on the upcoming birth of baby #12 and “Feliz Navidad” to you and yours.
