Monday, May 5, 2008

16 Kids

Why would you have 16 kids
While someone hasn’t any
How do you keep up with them
I think it’s way too many

You had to choose a lot of names
Too many to remember
You've always gotten pregnant
In September and December

You really lead a busy life
There’s laundry everyday
Never eating fast food meals
At home you have to stay

Endless diapers you have changed
How many have you bought
No matter what their ages are
At home is where they’re taught

When do all the children bathe
Are they assigned a day
If they have to brush their teeth
Is there a long delay

No one has a single room
Too many have to share
The women wear long dresses
And they always braid their hair

The children can't all go for rides
There’s no room in the car
Once a week they walk to church
Because it’s not too far

This family is a big expense
A millionaire you're not
Food and clothing costs are high
No savings have you got

Yet all the children that you have
Are partially related
They live with several women
Who their father went and dated

Yes, 16 kids this father has
The moms have three or more
And when another wife arrives
There will be many more

By, Randee Saber 6/24/06

April 7, 2008, 4:35PM400 children in custody in polygamist compound raid
By JANET ELLIOTT and JOHN MacCORMACKSAN ANGELO — The state has taken legal, temporary custody of 401 children from a polygamist compound in nearby Schleicher County, a child welfare official said today, citing allegations of abuse and that the children were at risk of harm. Officials still haven't found the 16-year-old girl whose abuse complaint triggered the massive raid. A prosecutor said Sunday she was concerned for the safety of the girl, who first called a week ago seeking help. The raid came more than four years after members of the church, long based on the Arizona-Utah border, began arriving at this rural agricultural community. While mainstream Mormons disavowed polygamy more than a century ago, the sect, led by the now imprisoned Warren Jeffs, believes in plural, arranged marriages that often involve teenage girls and older men.