Getting married and starting a family is a goal a lot of people have in their lives. However, it looks different for everyone and we cannot say which way is right and which is not!
This North Carolina couple, for example, lives in a household with 18 people and their hope is to grow this number even more. This is just another reminder of how different everyone’s family can look, and to make sure we find beauty in our differences.
Patty and Carlos Hernandez might look like your average couple but there is nothing average about them! The couple shares 16 children together and they have no plans of stopping any time soon.
The couple runs their own commercial cleaning business to sustain their big family. Another interesting thing about them is that all their children have names starting with the letter ‘C.’
The reason behind this is that it is a way to honor 39-year-old Carlos who is a devoted father to all of them.
Patty is 40 years old and has been pregnant for 14 of those years! The couple has six sons and ten daughters, six of the kids are twins; a trait prevalent in Carlos’ family.
Their oldest child is 14 years old, and their youngest is just a year old. They welcomed the newest addition to their family in May 2021 and have said they might even have more children.
The mother of 16 shared that she would usually conceive three months after her last pregnancy and would always welcome the news positively.
A few years ago the couple made headlines as everyone wondered how they managed to raise such a big family on their own. The family’s day starts at 8 A.M. when Patty prepares a huge breakfast of cereal, waffles, or pancakes. After they finish breakfast, the children practice Christian Devotional, which included praying, singing, and reading together.
Afterward, the older school-going kids make their way to school while Patty catches up on her errands and looking after her youngest babies. She said, “I try to do everything while they are at school because that’s when I have the most free time. If I have an appointment I take all of them with me.”
The older kids do their homework at after school study and make their way home by 6 P.M. after which the family sits down to have dinner at the table with one another.
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After dinner, the kids play for a bit and then say their prayers before heading off to sleep at 8:30 P.M.
And according to recent news, the family is going to grow even further as the couple is expecting their 17th child in March 2023. Patty hopes of having 20 children, an even number of boys and girls each. She believes she is very fertile and blessed by God. She said, “We always wanted a big family but never thought God would bless us this much.”
Since they are planning on expanding their family even more, the couple changed their 16-seater for a 20-seater bus to be able to transport their family to and from places.
The couple never stresses out about not being able to provide for their children and always make do. Patty shared the couple does not use contraception and has left everything to God, she said, “I leave everything to God. If he wants us to conceive again, then let it be.”
Patty has shared that other people tend to judge her for her choices but she does not focus on the negativity much. The couple lives in a 5-bedroom home with their children. The older children have bunk beds while the younger ones have cribs in the nursery.
Patty says the couple spends approximately $895 on food alone every week and that the money is mostly used on school lunches for their kids. After their 17th child arrives, they hope they will have another one.
She has now trained her older kids in helping around the house and each of them has certain responsibilities they have to undertake and execute. she shared that she does laundry 4 days a week and has to wash about a thousand clothes on average. She also folds the clothes every two days and it takes her about 5 hours to do so.
While raising such a big family can indeed bring with it some struggles, Patty and Carlos wouldn’t have it any other way!
This surely is a unique family and clearly, they have so much love for one another! We are sending this family our best wishes for their future!
Share this piece with others so they can learn about such a big family in this day and age!
