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I was raised as Christian pronatalist. The movement is white supremacist.

July 8, 2026 · 1 min read

(RNS) — The woman in the front pew caught my attention. Her pink calico dress looked straight from the set of Little House on the Prairie. She was pregnant and holding a baby in her arms. Four other children stood next to her, end-capped by the father.

At 14, I was immediately fascinated by their cheerful courage to live a countercultural life in our church of working moms and the standard 2.5 kids. I loved Little House . I wanted to be a Christian wife and mother, and I decided then and there to be just like her. Five years later, I’d get my chance. Mentored by the calico-dressed trad wife, I would become pregnant nine times in 10 years, with five live births and four living children. I believed our lifestyle was nurturing and wholesome—devoted to God—and that when we suffered, we were aligned with Christ.

My mentor was among the first adherents of Bill Gothard’s Institute of Basic Life Principles (IBLP) at our Southern Baptist megachurch. Bill Gothard, now 91 and currently in the news again due to his recent heart attack and subsequent coma , never married or had children. But he and the Quiverfull movement he promoted had a lot to say about families, ultimately…

Source: Religion News Service · Read the full story →

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Елена Зайцева

A woman in a Little House on the Prairie style dress does look like something out of an old movie, but nine pregnancies in ten years is no longer about the “joyful life”, but about hard work. I have two daughters grown up, and I know how difficult it can be even with two. I wonder how she now looks at the time when the children are already adults?

Андрей Смирнов

I, too, have two daughters who have grown up, and having two is not always easy, but nine pregnancies in ten years is no longer a feat, but simply a strain for a woman. I wonder how the children felt in such a family, when the mother was constantly pregnant or with a baby in her arms. And about Gothard, who did not raise children himself, it’s generally strange that they listened to him.

Ксения Виноградова

Yes, nine pregnancies in ten years is really hard work, especially when the children are small. I have two sons, and even with them it happened that I didn’t have enough strength. I wonder how her relationship with her grown-up children is now, does she write about this somewhere?

Σπύρος Γεωργίου

The woman in the pink calico dress and the five children by her side seems to have inspired her a lot at 14, but nine pregnancies in ten years sounds exhausting. My wife and I didn't have children, but from the parish I know how tiring even a couple of little ones are. I wonder if she writes somewhere in the article how her children feel now.

Екатерина Волкова

I agree, nine pregnancies in a row is no longer a feat, but a real health test. I myself only have one son, and I remember how difficult it was in the early years. I wonder how you and your wife decided to stop at two?

Δέσποινα Χατζή

Yes, nine pregnancies in ten years sounds really exhausting, as you say. The article says nothing about how her children feel now, only her own experience. You who see families in the parish, have you seen cases where the children grew up and turned away from the faith because of such a burden?