I am at our town YMCA this Saturday morning, watching two of my children take swimming lessons. We have what some consider to be a “large” family.

Yet, it doesn’t feel large to us. Each child is so unique and is such an individual. It would be impossible to lump them into a homogeneous group. When one is away for a school commitment, the family seems much different. When only one is away, we all talk about how we miss that person.

Parenting is a true mystery. When we were pregnant with our second, I often wondered: “How will I be able to love fully this new child and give the attention he or she deserves?”

But, we did it, and, we do. When you have another child, your heart somehow grows. So, the children aren’t fighting for a fixed portion of love. Instead, with each new child, your heart expands and grows a new chamber.

That chamber, and each chamber, is special. It belongs only to that child.