Every Child, No Matter How Many, Is Special

Book excerpt: In "Every child, no matter how many, is special.", readers are treated in humorous detail to large-size family dynamics, which any size family will enjoy. Told through the eyes of author Stephen F. Gambescia and his siblings, Every child gives readers a glimpse into their childhood years growing up in a household of sixteen children. From the multiplicity of everyday events (recruiting "volunteers" to help with laundry, coordinating school lunches, food shopping or preparing meals), to the signature family-life events (hosting New Year's Eve parties, terrorizing neighborhood kids with their version of a Halloween haunted house, preparing for Christmas dinner or vacationing at the Jersey shore), Stephen captures the profound blessings of a large family and how managing a larger-than-average family is a testimony to his parents' amazing dedication, wisdom and self-sacrifice. In the words of his mother and her legacy on behalf of fellow parents, "A family is a family whether there is one child or sixteen children. Every child is special."