I don't know what to say.... - Andrew and Lora Lynn

[Koala]

other than this: If you can't handle 1/2 dozen smallish children, THEN DON'T have/adopt them. Gah....she makes herself sound like the friggin mommyhood martyr. And the stories she tells about her children are often embarrassing.

I have always made a point NOT to tell embarrassing stories about my kids. They are people too.

vitafamiliae.com/?p=4037

There's more, but this was just :shock: :

"Don’t walk up to her and point out that, even though she’s got three heavy children IN the cart and only one child is standing ON the cart, and she’s kept her hands at ten and two on the cart the whole blessed time, it’s still possible for the cart to be flipped and someone to die. Because she might cry and want to scream, “Unless you’re TAKING ONE OF THESE CHILDREN FROM ME OR HOLDING THEIR HAND ALL THE WAY BACK TO THE CAR, PLEASE KEEP YOUR THOUGHTS TO YOURSELF.â€

I didn’t scream.

But I did cry."

[Caxpax]

Better yet, just send hubby to go out grocery shopping on his way home from work, or have hubby watch his children while you go out and do the shopping one evening.

But then again, in my egalitarian household, that's an option. Actually, my hubby takes our son grocery shopping by himself in the evenings to give me an hour break. He loves grocery shopping and he loves spending time with his son. win win.

Like I've said before-- if your life is sooooooo stressful, WHY DO YOU KEEP HAVING/ADOPTING kids???

[bananacat]

Wow, it's really bad that she would endanger the children that way. A fall from a toppled cart might not seem like a big deal, but in some ways kids are much more fragile than adults (although they are also more robust in plenty of ways). I took a Red Cross sponsored first aid class when I started babysitting at a home day care, and this whole thing sounds like a head or neck injury just waiting to happen. Those kids deserve better. For as much as these people claim to love children, they don't seem to care much about their health or safety.

[Rosa]

I agree with the have less kids thing, but I see big families with kids in the cart all the time - a lot of times, mom has the baby in a baby seat in one cart, and an older girl has another cart with toddlers/preschoolers in the main part where the groceries go. Just to keep them contained. It doesn't actually seem unsafe - if they are in the main part of the cart, not the seat, they're below it's center of gravity and can't tip it (until they're getting out, that's a time to be careful). I let my own son ride on the cart - if she means on TOP of the cart, that's a problem, but a little kid with feet on the bars down by the wheels, at the front or back, also can't tip a cart easily - my son weighs just under 40 pounds and he isn't heavy enough to even make an empty shopping cart do a wheely, much less tip it.

[Nothing2CHere]

There could have also been a liability aspect from the store - the employee, upon seeing the potentially dangerous cart situation, was obligated to say something, so that if the cart DID tip over and injuries did happen, the store could say that they weren't at fault, the customer had been warned. Because it wouldn't surprise me in the least one day to hear about a store being sued for kids falling out of a shopping cart that they shouldn't have been piled into in the first place.

[Kitchen Princess]

I had been a parent for 15 years, heaping a kid or two in the cart and one on the end over and over again, when it DID happen to me. My 4 yo was in the cart and his 4 yo friend was on the front, standing on the bar, and the whole thing tipped over toward the friend. The friend was only a little bit heavier than my kid. It was just a perfect storm of them shifting one way and me letting go to grab something, and my son spilled out onto his friend, and then the floor with the cart landing on top of the friend.

No one was hurt, and the aisle was empty, but I made them both walk after that.

Better than warn the woman about the danger, though, the Lowe's lady should have brought another cart and offered to accompany her in the store or get the items she was looking for. I do think it was a liability issue.

[uber frau]

It depends on the kids and the situation. I have a three yr old who can topple a trolley. Three kids could do it easily if they were having a rambunctious moment (but then again, her kids have probably been chair-trained into submission and wouldn't do a thing like that.)

I can't get over how unrealistic her expectations are. This is another instance holy model of a godly family (one breadwinner, one carer and a handful of kids living as a unit) not working. There's only so many small ppl one adult can handle and she's over her coping point her kids are paying for it.

[DefraudedbyGothard]

I have always made a point NOT to tell embarrassing stories about my kids. They are people too.

This.

[LilMissMetaphor]

We (Andrew and Lora Lynn) are now the proud parents of five kids. Aged five and under.

It irritates me to no end that her About Us page still says this. Mira joined them months ago?

[MrVita]

LilMiss,

Good catch. Not an intentional omission, just something we don't think about updating. That said, the About page has been updated.

[formergothardite]

Well, since you are here, can you please stop complaining about having so many kids? It isn't like they dropped out of the sky one night and were forced on you. You chose to have them, so put on your big girl panties and quit acting like your life is so horrible. And if your life really is so horrible, do something to change it. And if the only way you can take your kids places is by putting them in danger, you should really rethink your whole lifestyle.

[LilMissMetaphor]

LilMiss,

Good catch. Not an intentional ommission, just something we don't think about updating. That said, the About page has been updated.

Thank you. Inaccuracy disturbs me. And on that note, you may omit the extra m in omission.

[MrVita]

Thank you. Inaccuracy disturbs me. And on that note, you may omit the extra m in omission.

My pleasure. The extra 'm' has been omitted.

[keeperrox]

I call complete and utter bullshit that these uber-families get stopped ALL.THE.TIME while in public by people who want to criticize them about their family size as the comments would imply. They're all such fucking liars.

[formergothardite]

She isn't even an uber-sized family. I was raised in a family bigger than that and not only did my mom make it through the store without putting us in danger or falling out in tears, we very rarely got commented on. Maybe it is because my mom didn't go around sending off the mommy-martyr vibe that seems to be trendy today. I'm all for not acting like life is always kittens and rainbows, but if going to the grocery store sends you into tears, then you need help.

[notsocommon]

My pleasure. The extra 'm' has been omitted.

This made me LOL. Gotta love someone with a sense of humor.

[formergothardite]

If you really want some advice on how to handle the grocery store with a bunch of small children I'll tell you what a friend of mine does. She has six kids and the oldest is seven. She puts the baby in a sling in front, the next to youngest in a sling on her back. The toddler in the front seat of the buggy, and all the others walkd. She makes them a list to carry with pictures of items (she goes to the same store every time so she has a general idea of what items are down low) to look for and put in the buggy. It gives them something to concentrate on. If they obey they get a treat at the end. That is only if she has to take them. Usually she gets a babysitter and goes on her own. She is totally non-fundie. She has a trust fund so she only works part time from home, isn't married, and there are three different fathers.

[onlyorganic]

LL or Andrew..while you're here I would like to point out that people in these stores are TRAINED to tell people if and when they are being unsafe. That being said, it isn't done as a power-trip. People who work at these big-box hardware stores make an hourly wage...do you think they troll around trying to point out things to upset people? Most employees will say something because they will get written up if a manager sees them NOT pointing out a safety issue.

I used to work at one of these stores and once saw a little boy standing up, trying to reach a balloon we had tied to our registers. I looked at the little boy and said "Sweetie, can you sit down in the cart, I don't want you to fall." The boy didn't, if anything he gave me a look as if to tell me to go blank myself... the dad heard me say it and didn't say diddly to the child. Well, my manager ran over because *I* wasn't doing my job by getting the kid to sit down and told the little boy to please sit down in the cart. The dad turned to her and unleashed this whole f-bomb filled tirade about how we shouldn't put balloons up if we don't want kids to stand up in carts to touch them (they arrived in my line with the kid standing in the cart, mom and dad happily pushing). My manager almost cried the guy ripped her such a new one.

Anyways, my point is... if you take your kids to the type of store where they could be hurt RESPECT the store and have your kids behave. She wasn't questioning your momma-wisdom and she sure as heck wasn't trying to make you cry.

*PS if you were in my home and your children were behaving unsafely you better believe that I'd say something to you. This is the same thing. I read the comments on your blog post and honestly can't believe that you and your readers feel attacked when a store employee gets on your case about doing something unsafely. I highly doubt if your child was hurt you'd be willing to say "It was my fault, no...we won't sue" when the issue arises.

[aubrietta]

Lora Lynn is a bitch that can't handle any body saying anything.

Remember the blog post where she talked about Mira vomiting in her car seat because "she was angry" not because of car sickness? I commented, using my real name, linked to my real mommy-blog, asking - not snarking in any way, if Mira's disress in the car seat could be from the fact that she had not experienced car seats previously in her life in Africa and was not used to them.

The response to this comment? The bitch blocked me from her blog. As in blocked my ip address so I can't load her blog from my home computer.

Lora Lynn LOVES the drama. She thrives on it, and won't allow even a smidgen of anyone questioning her. She is probably best buds with Mckmama.

[ladypuglover]

I call complete and utter bullshit that these uber-families get stopped ALL.THE.TIME while in public by people who want to criticize them about their family size as the comments would imply. They're all such fucking liars.

I sort of believe them as it used to happen to me a lot when I had 3 sons, 4 sons and then 5 sons. Five sons in over 12 years mind you, not in only 5 years and I still would get an almost daily comment or 12 about my family size while out in public. Or if I knew about birth control, or how it was better me than them. That last one still ticks me off and I would say that my kids think so too. I tell people that you may only say or think it once about that pesron but that person has already heard it a thousand times.

I had the cart tip over back when I only had 2 and the younger in the seat. thankfully I had just grabbed the baby out when my toddler tipped over the cart. Neither was hurt but all 3 of us were frightened and cried. When I had 3rd baby my middle son almost tipped the cart but I caught it in time. My middle son was old enough to walk and behave but for some reason that day he wanted to hang off the side of the cart. Being 4, he weighed enough to tip the cart.

[Austin]

I call complete and utter bullshit that these uber-families get stopped ALL.THE.TIME while in public by people who want to criticize them about their family size as the comments would imply. They're all such fucking liars.

I think they mostly lie about this stuff, too. Most people have too much on their minds when they're running these sorts of errands to be bothered by what anybody else is doing unless it directly affects them. I don't doubt it happens occasionally as we received attention because we had twins and a toddler, and people would say, "Oh, look at all those boys", etc., but it was not said with any evil intent.

I think it's all about the persecution complex. Gotta keep fueling that fire, dontcha know. . . all of society is out to get them!

Yeah, I call mostly pants on fire.

ETA: The supermarket where we shop announces over the PA in regular intervals over the "musak" tips about keeping your children safe in shopping carts. Certainly, they must be concerned about liability and who can blame them?

[formergothardite]

Lora Lynn is a bitch that can't handle any body saying anything.

Remember the blog post where she talked about Mira vomiting in her car seat because "she was angry" not because of car sickness? I commented, using my real name, linked to my real mommy-blog, asking - not snarking in any way, if Mira's disress in the car seat could be from the fact that she had not experienced car seats previously in her life in Africa and was not used to them.

The response to this comment? The bitch blocked me from her blog. As in blocked my ip address so I can't load her blog from my home computer.

Lora Lynn LOVES the drama. She thrives on it, and won't allow even a smidgen of anyone questioning her. She is probably best buds with Mckmama.

Which is why she refuses to address any of the other issues raised in this thread. She doesn't actually want any advice or to learn to do things in a better, less stressful way because she has a martyr complex and only wants people to gush over how totally awesome she is for dealing with all these ~hardships~. :roll:

[Guest Anonymous]

Yeah there's no way someone with only 6 kids gets so many looks and comments. My best friend is one of 5 and no one even notices them as a big family...because they aren't...

Even with all of them out together and my best friend carrying her baby, there isn't weirdness.

Some people just have nothing better to do than cry about how everyone is out to go get them.

Not that I have a lick of respect or anything for this bitch after the post about Mira making herself throw up because she's angry...okay. I'm 19 and it STILL offends me when people think I am making up my motion sickness or faking it or something.

[aubrietta]

Which is why she refuses to address any of the other issues raised in this thread. She doesn't actually want any advice or to learn to do things in a better, less stressful way because she has a martyr complex and only wants people to gush over how totally awesome she is for dealing with all these ~hardships~. :roll:

Exactly. Nothing classier than whoring out your children on a blog so that people will feel sorry for how hard your life is. Except....wait! You had all those children and went around the world to get another ON PURPOSE. So much for children being blessings hey? This is what annoys me so much about the rabidly anti-abortion folks who want to force every woman who gets pregnant to have a baby because the baaaayyyybeeees are BLESSINGS FROM GOD. Then, a few minutes later they are complaining about how hard life is with their 14 children. Totally, nauseatingly, hypocritical.

[keeperrox]

I think they mostly lie about this stuff, too. Most people have too much on their minds when they're running these sorts of errands to be bothered by what anybody else is doing unless it directly affects them. I don't doubt it happens occasionally as we received attention because we had twins and a toddler, and people would say, "Oh, look at all those boys", etc., but it was not said with any evil intent.

I think it's all about the persecution complex. Gotta keep fueling that fire, dontcha know. . . all of society is out to get them!

Yeah, I call mostly pants on fire.

Exactly.