Lyette Reback grew up as an only child, longing to be surrounded by a bigger family. As a little girl, the last life path she imagined for herself was one that included giving birth to 16 children.
From the age of 21 to today, still under 40, Lyette's home has become more of a small to medium-size business where she home schools all of her children of different ages at once while her husband goes to work to provide for the $650 weekly grocery bill. Yet, they are happy, here's why.
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Imagine going from never having touched a baby, to cleaning up after 16 of your own. Lyette was once a teenager who had higher priorities than changing diapers. She was a communications graduate who studied at a top all-girls school.
Despite never having babysat a day in her life, she felt it in her heart that was meant to have her own big family. She just didn't quite predict how big...
When Lyette was just 19 years old, her whole world changed. She met a boy named David who was also only 19. They fell in love so hard and fast that they decided to get married just 10 days later. They enjoyed a blissful marriage for two years before Lyette was pregnant with her first child, a daughter. They didn't know that this would just be the beginning.
The couple's young and rushed marriage was just the first sign that they wouldn't live by the rules. They didn't care about being conventional, they just wanted to be happy and nothing brought them greater joy than children.
The couple went on to have six boys and nine more girls, eleven of which were biological children and four adopted. Each child had their own personality and helped the next form their own. They go by for girls: Ryli, 20, Bliss, 19, Kemper, 17, Glory, 15, Trinity, 13, Liberty, 11, Sojourner, 8, Victory, 6 and Verity, 4, and boys Courson, 12, Judson, 10, Shepherd, 10, Ransom, 8 and Stone, 5.
If you take these ages into consideration you'll realize that Lyette has spent 10 whole years of her 40 being pregnant, during which she gained and shed 600 pounds in baby weight. She is also quite familiar with the labor room, having visited a dozen times, without ever getting a C section. The mom even still found time to write a book about parenting, work out and go out with friends all along the way!
Lyette's life is far from easy. She admits that all her friends call her crazy ad even strangers don't agree with her decisions. After all, she has to navigate driving around her kids to 88 different sports practices a week. Not to mention that her chores include 42 loads of laundry a week and replenishing $650 of groceries a week, including 12 gallons of milk, 100 eggs, 40 pounds of chicken, and 50 pounds of potatoes.
Did we mention that Lyette also home-schools all of her children from their three-bedroom home? However, the mom sees this life as a blessing and doesn't think the number of children is a bad thing. She explains: "They're human beings, not robots, and it isn’t always perfect or pretty, but that fact is the same whether you have two kids or 20."
If you're wondering what a typical day for this family looks like picture this: Lyette wakes up each day at 5:30 a.m., starts her day with a prayer, and writes down a to-do list. She then goes on to wake up the children and assembles them for homeschooling where she teaches them math, science, languages, history, and art.
The kids also have a chores schedule depending on their ages. For instance, Trinity, 13, makes three meals a day for the family, with the assistance of her 11-year-old sister, Liberty. The other kids are tasked with scrubbing the bathrooms and vacuuming after meals or between classes. The children also all attend community events and help out with their mom's charity.
Let's just say that the family is never bored. Yet, they manage to eat most meals together and even hold a weekly movie night. Lyette also makes sure to tuck in each kid before bed.
She admits: "It is challenging. There is no normal day in the Reback household. I'm constantly running at 100 mph and sometimes it's overwhelming. It’s kind of bananas but it is somewhat organized chaos." She adds "It can get so busy that I can barely even remember my name at times but it is always worth it. Yet she would rather do everything herself than hire someone to keep the family close and instill hardworking independent values.
Naturally not everyone agrees with Lyette's way of living and they're not shy about making their opinion apparent: "If the number of children we have comes up in conversation or people see us out and they don't know our family, they are like, 'holy mackerel."
She jokes that she has even surprised herself with how her life has turned out: "If I had known then that by the time I was 40 I would have 16 kids I would have thought it was crazy. If anything what lyette is doing is impressive as we can only imagine how organized one would have to be to keep up with 16 other individuals who entirely still depend on you while still staying in good health yourself.
Lyette and David believe that they were meant to be parents to so many kids... and they don't even think that they're done yet! They find children to be a rewarding gift explaining: "David and I were blessed to be able to have children and we really, truly believe that raising children is an incredible opportunity to do something amazing in the world."
The family understands that they are different but it's something they lovingly embrace: “I fully understand we have chosen to do life differently than most, but it works for us. We wouldn't have it any other way. I wake up each morning and think, 'I can’t believe I get to do this.’ Raising children is the best job in the world. I don’t know if we will have any more. We never put a number on it — we just take it one day at a time."
Lyette truly feels like it was her purpose in life to be a mother to many, to teach, love and to nurture. Knowing she has walked her path brings her peace, fulfillment, and happiness. This kind of manifestation is possible for all of us.
Are you still searching for your life purpose? Tap into the 4,000-year-old science of Numerology and discover what it can reveal about you!
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