Evening star., 1961-05-14

published story about another
fcmiIy with l5 children.
BY MRS. LUCILLE HILLYARD
BURLINGAME, Calf, May
13 (AP).-My husband and
I read with some interest
(and amusement) your ac-
count of the Nelson's and their
13 children, because we are
the Hillyards John, 46, and
Lucille, 44 who also have l3
children.
In order Of seniority: John,
jr., aged 19 and in the Navy;
Martin, Is, who attends Sierra
High School; Mary. IA, a
freshman at Mercy High;
Stephen, 13; James. II; Mark,
10. Lucy, 9, Thomas. 8, and
Michael, 7. who all attend
st. GATHERINGS School:
Philip, 5, who attends kin
dergarten at Pershing, and
the three "at homers"-Mar-
guerite, 4: Teresta. 3. and
Joseph. who is 2. and our
baby.
AS a matter of fact. I met
Mrs. Nelson Il am sure it was
she) over a potato bin in a
local supermarkeet almost
two years ago. 1t was during
that period when potatoes
were pretty scarce and what
there were, were pretty awful.
We were mumbling to our
selves over the high price and
poor quality and got to talk
ing" as women will, about
how many people we had to
feed.
She said, with that rather
apologetic air that we moth
ers Of large families affect,
that she was expecting her
18th" and II suppose you are
going to say, How do I do
it?'"
We'll, no." I said, II am
not, because am one ahead
Of you Already have 13-
and I know just how you feel
about that particular ques-
ton" And those screaming
ly funny jokes and jabs
which are tossed our away
which get exceedingly mossy
after the goth or 30th time.
Oh, I'll admit we enjoy the
looks Of horror, astonish-
ment and shock we cause
when we spring our large
broods on unsuspecting in
dividuals. It's especially funny
Ito us) when somebody with
a relatively small family Of
oh, say six or seven-has
been gabbling away about
how overworked she is. This
Is the time when other peo-
pie love to say, We'll, you
ought to know the Hillyards
Cor the NelSon) They have
13 and they ;. !"
One Of my neighbors, the
mother Of three almost grown
boys, was mumbling and
grumbling to me one day
about all the washing and
ironing and cooking she had
to do besides doing some
substitute teaching at vari-
GUS times, when it all of a
sudden dawned on her that
she was talking to me.
"Why You"
Good grief" she said,
"Why am I complaining to
you, of all people!"
Well, I don't know why she
was complaining to me, ex-
cept that she needed to blow
off steam to somebody and
when she got through she
didn't feel quite so sorry for
herself as she had when she
started.
Maybe that is one Of our
prime purposes-to give other
people the feeling that may
be they aren't so bad off
after all. If we can manage
to plunge into our terrible
daily and endless chores and
come up smiling-maybe they
can, too.
But how do you do it???"
I. for one, have given a great
many people a great many
answers, some kind Of silly
and some which have been
misunderstanding to the
laughter they provoked.
But how DO we do it,
anyhow.
AS far as the mechanics of
housekeeping, cooking, clean
ing, correcting and disci-
plining go, there is no end
to it. 1t goes on and on for
ever and ever without end,
and things sometimes get
into one big horrible mess
but this sort Of thing goes on
in every household where
there are children. It Just