I have to admit that I am intrigued by large families?perhaps because we have 5 children. I had a rare opportunity to watch TV this evening and I saw a few minutes of Nanny 911. The family that was featured on this episode that aired tonight has?drum roll please?43 kids.

Jim Silcock and his wife Ann have been married for 11 years. During that time, they?ve adopted 43 boys, all of whom have special needs. I was astounded and humbled as I watched Ann care for all of these children and help her husband, who is paralyzed and in a wheelchair.

Each week, they spend around $800 on groceries alone and Annie does 40 loads of laundry a day. The family of 45 lives in a 9 bedroom, 5 bathroom house that has 2 stories and a residential elevator. New construction will add an additional 3 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, another living room, and an additional laundry. In order to make sure that all of the children are cared for, the Silcock family has several ?family helpers? who drive the children to activities and help the couple with daily tasks.

According to the information on their family website, the Silcock children have been adopted from all over the world. The couple has chosen to work with disabled boys because they feel that these children are harder to place in ?forever families?. They also are open about the fact that they haven?t ruled out adopting more children.

In addition to caring for their large family, Jim and Ann have started a non-profit organization called First Step Inc. The organization provides grants for disabled people so that they can participate in recreational activities in their communities.

As a mother of with 4 special needs children herself, I can vaguely grasp how difficult life must be for Ann and Jim. I just am finding it hard to come to terms with the reality of what life must be like with 43 children. The next time I get discouraged when my 5 are creating chaos in the house?.I think I?ll take a deep breath and think of Jim and Ann, and realize how good I have it.

I just received a newsletter from The National Association for Parents of Children with Visual Impairments(NAPVI), which we belong to because of my children’s disabilities. They have worked out a package with The Come Children Sing Institute for a free session of online music classes. The length of the classes is 10 weeks.

To be eligible for this free offer, your infant, toddler or baby(that’s how they word it) must be a special needs child and you must have documentation from a healthcare professional stating so. If you can verify that you have a young child with special needs, request your free gift certificate by sending an email to mepinzino@comechildrensing.com. Be sure to reference the NAPVI connection and Babies Online.

Your certificate will be sent to you via mail and you can begin the classes online any time you wish.

I have noticed, especially with my handicapped children, that they love to listen and dance to music. Even when they were infants, they would respond to music and singing.

My handicapped children are now teens, but their love of music has continued. In fact, my daughter reads her sheet music using Braille. I never knew that this was even a possibility before her Vision teacher told me about this.

I’d encourage parents who have special needs children to take advantage of this great offer! I’d also like to extend a virtual hug to you. Parenting isn’t easy; parenting a child who has special needs is most certainly not easy.

I wish you and yours the very best.