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A young Brazilian couple with 8 children is expecting twins in March 2022. They’ve been conquering the Internet with their testimonials and photos of family life: In the two weeks since the wife and mother opened her Instagram account, she has already accumulated more than 76,000 followers!
They have a large and happy family, which encourages a healthy reconsideration of several preconceptions about the supposedly “ideal” number of children in our times.
The “ideal” number of children simply does not exist, as Mariana, the mother, says. What does exist is common sense and each couple’s responsibility to follow their own vocation and possibilities.
What the Catholic Church proposes to its faithful is that they have children within a conscious, committed, solid, and loving relationship, blessed by the sacrament of marriage, in which the spouses, remaining open to whatever God wants for them, can engage in sensible natural family planning.
There are couples who have the vocation and possibility to have one or two children; there are others who have the vocation and possibility to have 12 or 14 children; and there are some, with or without their own biological children, who have the vocation and possibility to adopt children.
Mariana and Carlos Arasaki, both 36 years old and married for 10 years, are from São Paulo, Brazil. They say they’d always dreamed of having children, with their ideal being a big family.
Their dream is coming true: they already have 10 children, the two newest being twins João Pio and Josemaria, due in March, 2022. The other eight include six girls and two boys.
Mariana listed the names and ages of the children in a post on Instagram:
The children. Each one is worth the universe and they enjoy the presence of their siblings a lot, from gestation until the day they arrive in this world.
1. Maria Philomena 9 years old
2. Martin 8 years old
3. Maria Clara 7 years old
4. Maria Sophia 6 years old
5. Bernardo 4 years old
6. Margarida Maria 3 years old
7. Maria Madalena 2 years old
8. Stella Maria 10 months old
To this list, as we’ve already mentioned, must also be added the unborn children João Pio and Josemaria.
Two random curiosities about Mariana and Carlos’ children: they were all born in natural birth; and, according to their mother, they all like Japanese food.
Expecting twins
How did they receive the news that two more twins were on the way? In an interview with Gshow, Mariana says, “I went to my doctor’s office and she announced that everything was fine and there was not just one baby, but two! My heart jumped for joy! It was really too exciting to see the two babies on the ultrasound!”
Carlos is a very present and active father. In fact, Mariana wrote on Instagram:
It all starts with the unity of the couple. In love, in the willingness to raise children prepared for the world, giving lots of love, affection, and firmness whenever necessary, teaching that without God we are nothing… We all have difficult days, and this will pass; everything does, really. Life is a breath and we try to make the most of this gift that God gives us.
The young mother also gives helpful tips about children’s routines:
Kids with a routine are happy kids! Routine isn’t crowding the child’s agenda, it’s having a schedule so that they feel safe. So that they grow up confident because they know that someone cares about their well-being.
Having activities that allow them to burn off energy, to be children, to learn and acquire knowledge and virtues (patience, fortitude, perseverance) in a calm way.Time to eat, play, go to school, do homework, extra-curricular activities.
At home, bedtime is sacred. It’s important for the marriage, so Carlos and I can always have some time alone.
Will Mariana and Carlos still want more children after the arrival of the twins? Mariana told Gshow: “If God says so, yes, of course!”
And today we celebrate...