I have a question for all the members of the LDS who are still trying to figure out why are there so many children in the wards and stakes of their church? If Joseph Smith could see what today’s members try to accomplish in less than perfect circumstances, would he have made any changes? It makes no sense to me that the men who founded this institution did not recognize the gravity of what they were doing.
Why are there so many wards and stakes of the ward where there is only one teacher? What happened to the father and mother in spirit? When you ask these questions, you should not expect answers. Instead, allow the scriptures to speak for themselves. If you are still asking, why do I have so many children and not one person who wants to teach?
Sometimes the Church will point out that the reasons are not obvious. They will say, for instance, that some families are poor. This may be true, but when there are eight children in a family that has two working parents, it is difficult for that family to survive. This is the same family, though, which works on their own two hours a day to provide for their eight-year-old son.
There are other simpler reasons why families have as many children as they do. A great example is Provo, Utah, just east of Salt Lake City. Two years ago, the death of a young wife brought distress to the entire family. The husband had been working long hours at the foundry when his wife died. His grief was compounded by the fact that there were no longer any parents in the home to help him grieve.
Provo is a lovely, thriving city. Many working-class families live here. That means the loss of a breadwinner can devastate a whole family. The death of Provo’s father brought added sorrow to this family. It is not unusual for a working-class family in Provo to have two or more children, each with their own parents.
Not all families in Provo are wealthy. Some of those who are poorer are simply trying to make enough money to pay the bills and feed themselves and their children. Those are the families in which the mother dies. Their husbands have to work long hours at the steel mill or at the foundry. And some of these children have as few as two working parents.
There are other, even deeper reasons why do Mormon children have so many children. They often have between eight and twelve children depending upon the family size. When the oldest child reaches age thirteen, another child is placed on the chart. This can create a sense of urgency, an urge to hurry up and take care of his or her siblings. This sense of urgency sometimes causes them to work too hard.
Some of these children stay home with their mothers when they get older. This is usually done because it is better for the children than to be away from their mother. This is a good thing, but some of these younger siblings may not have been properly introduced to the outside world. They may have run away from homesickness. They may have been abused or neglected. It is a great loss when these young ones leave the safety of their home to go out into the world and be thrust into the arms of strangers.
Another reason why do Mormon children have so many children is that many of them work very long hours at jobs that require long hours. The pressure of being in a long-hour job could cause them to feel suffocated at times. They may feel trapped in the routines that they have grown accustomed to. Some jobs are more fun, but they just want to be free to spend more time with their families.
A third reason why do Mormon children have so many children is that many of these children live in conditions where physical punishment is used on them. This is not only used as a means of discipline but it is also done as a means of disciplining the children. Physical abuse is often the key to why do Mormon children have so many children. Many parents do not know the best way to discipline their children. They do not know how to put their child in a loving, stable environment.
When parents get the answers to these three common questions, they can then decide which of these reasons explain why do Mormon children have so many children. If the answer to any of these questions is, “yes” then there is an understanding of the reason why. Then the parent can start working on changing the environment and creating a healthy environment for the child. If the answer to this question is, “no” then the only answer left is why not have children. The parent does not have to feel guilty for not wanting more children. The child does not have to suffer or be punished for not living up to the expectations set by the parents.