My husband and I have 7 children, 6 of whom we are blessed enough to be raising together (the seventh being already in heaven). We live, all eight of us, in a 900 square foot apartment. There’s no yard, no basement, only one bathroom, and a kitchen the size of a shoe box. Living here, we can either go crazy, or try to be accepting of the lack of space and look for the bright spots where we may. We prefer to the latter option, and so, I give you, my top seven (slightly unlikely) blessings of raising a “large” family in a “small” space.
1) Family time is all the time. We’re very close, by necessity, so there is never a day that goes by without snuggles on the couch (we only have one) or cuddles under a blanket.
2) TV is always supervised. With only one living space, there’s only one TV, and therefore mom and dad always know what’s being watched. This is helpful when the kids start getting older and want to watch whatever they want, regardless of what other, younger eyes are watching too. Between my husband and I, we’ve watched every episode of every show our children watch and we know what they’re viewing because of this.
3) The “office” is in the living room. Just as we only have one TV in the only living space, we also have only one computer, in the same living space. When they are old enough for the computer, we’ll be able to keep a close eye on their use. It’s also helpful that when I’m “working” on the computer, I’m never tucked away, out of sight, or closed off from the rest of the family.
4) The kids learn how to share. Like, everything. It isn’t forced (because as we discussed in the car the other day, we aren’t Socialists and don’t force sharing), but rather it happens naturally because it must. We simply can’t afford the space for multiples of many things, and so they learn to share things that they really want.
5) We learn to discern. What really matters? What actually is important to us? When you have exactly one drawer in which to keep all of your things, you start to figure out what you just can’t part with. As you get more used to discerning, you realize there is less and less that you simply can’t live without. Not only has this happened for me and my husband, but the kids are learning as well.
6) We learn to detach from “things.” There simply isn’t enough space to keep everything we want, and so we get rid of the “stuff” we’re not really using, and isn’t this really a key part of living a Christian life? By setting an example of detachment for my children, rather than just talking about the virtues of it, we are showing our children how to value material things properly.
7) With so little space, we’re still happy. I think this is the biggest blessing of living in a small space: our kids are learning that no matter how much space we have (or don’t have, as the case may be), as long as we’re all together, we can be happy.
Would we love a large house, with a sweeping yard, and plenty of space for our children to spread out and exercise their imaginations? Of course. Not many families can honestly say that they prefer a small apartment over something roomier, and we are no exception. However, it’s important to always “grow where you are planted,” and we do not intend to let 900 square feet keep us from growing where it matters: in faith, in love, and (we hope) in holiness.
