Getting married and starting a family is a life goal for many individuals. However, it appears differently to each person, and we cannot say which interpretation is correct.
This North Carolina couple, for instance, has 18 members in their household and hopes to increase this number. This serves as a further reminder of how diverse family structures can be and the importance of appreciating our differences.
Patty and Carlos Hernandez may appear to be an average couple, but they are anything but! The couple currently has 16 children and has no plans to stop any time soon.
Their large family is supported by the couple’s commercial cleaning business. All of their children’s names begin with the letter ‘C’, which is also an intriguing fact about them.
This is being done to honor Carlos, who is a devoted father of all of them and is 39 years old.
Patty, who is forty years old, has been pregnant for fourteen of those years! The couple has six sons and ten daughters, and six of their children are twins, which is a common trait in Carlos’ family.
Their oldest child is fourteen years old, while their youngest is only one year old. They added a new member to their family in May 2021 and have indicated that they may have additional children.
The sixteen-year-old mother revealed that she would typically conceive three months after her last pregnancy and would always be delighted by the news.
A few years ago, the couple made headlines when everyone questioned how they raised such a large family on their own. Patty begins the family’s day at 8:00 a.m. by preparing a massive breakfast of cereal, waffles, or pancakes. After breakfast, the children participate in Christian Devotional, which consists of praying, singing, and reading together.
The older school-aged children then make their way to school, while Patty runs errands and cares for her youngest children. She stated, “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 children complete their homework during after-school study and return home by 6 p.m., after which the family sits down to dinner together.
After dinner, the children play for a while before saying their prayers and retiring to bed at 8:30 p.m.
According to recent reports, the family will expand even further in March 2023, when the couple is expecting their seventeenth child. Patty desires to have 20 children, with an equal number of boys and girls. She believes God has blessed her with great fertility. She stated, “We always wanted a big family but never thought God would bless us this much.”
The couple upgraded their 16-seater bus to a 20-seater bus so that they can transport their growing family to various destinations.
The couple never frets about their inability to provide for their children and always manages to make do. Patty disclosed that the couple does not use contraception and has placed their trust in God, saying, “I leave everything to God. If he wants us to conceive again, then let it be.”
Patty has disclosed that others tend to judge her for her decisions, but she rarely focuses on this negativity. The couple resides with their children in a 5-bedroom home. In the nursery, the older children have bunk beds while the younger ones have cribs.
Patty reports that the couple spends approximately $895 per week on food, the majority of which is spent on school lunches for their children. After the birth of their seventeenth child, they hope to have another.
She has now instructed her older children in household chores, and each of them has specific responsibilities to carry out. She revealed that she does laundry four times per week and washes an average of one thousand items. She also folds the clothes every two days, which takes her approximately five hours.
Patty and Carlos wouldn’t have it any other way, despite the fact that raising such a large family can present challenges.