Back in April, a very amazing, completely improbable event occurred–a 14th child was born to a Rockford, Michigan couple. Having 14 children is something that, these days especially, you just don’t hear of all that often. But, incredibly, that is not the thing that makes this large family so notable: it’s the fact that all 14 of these kids are boys!
Nope, we’re not joking…
Jay and Kateri Schwandt’s kids span an entire generation–the oldest, Tyler, is 25 years old, and the youngest, newborn Finley has yet to hit his first birthday. What made Finley especially unique, (besides him being the 14th brother in the massive family) is his middle name. As a matter of fact, it’s so unusual that news outlets the world over immediately gravitated towards the moniker–Finley Sheboygan.
Can you guess why the Schwandts decided to give their newest addition such a unique middle name? Put on your thinking caps…but in the meantime, let’s take a closer look at this big family!
What life’s like for this family of 16
In an interview with PEOPLE, the Schwandts gave the magazine an inside look into what their daily lives are like raising 14 boys. Both Jay and Kateri explain that they live similarly to plenty of other families in America–except for the fact that they have nearly seven times the amount of children to look after.
“We feel like we’re unique parents. Obviously, very few people want to do this and very few people could do this and it’s just something we’re very comfortable with,” dad, Jay, says. “Everything we do, we do as a family and we just feel blessed that we’re able to do it.”
The large family currently lives in a 6 bedroom house with 3.5 bathrooms, a home that would be considered quite large for many, but in the case of the Schwandt’s, the home’s lack of amenities makes for some waiting around.
“If you’re the first person in the bathroom in the morning you’re in pretty good shape,” he says. “If we had all girls that would probably be a bigger issue!”
And, speaking of girls, when we first learned about the Schwandt’s 14th son, the first thought that we had was: Jeez, these two must have ended up with so many kids because they were trying for a daughter!
Well, as it turns out, we weren’t totally off-base. “We’ve got all boys, so it’s what we’re used to,” Jay says. “It would’ve been nice to have a girl, but we’re super excited to have another boy. Some of the boys were hoping for a little sister, and some were rooting for another brother. I was pulling for a girl.”
Although we’re sad to hear that the Schwandts didn’t get their girl, it’s also nice to know that they are totally cool with boy #14, too. To learn more about the Schwandt’s–and to finally hear the story behind Finley Sheboygan’s unusual middle name!–be sure to watch the video below.
We’d love to hear your thoughts on this family. Are you surprised by the meaning behind Finely’s middle name? Do you know any large families? If so, what are some challenges that they face?