It is interesting that Sam had a happy childhood but still chose a different life for himself, and a life that was a struggle for survival for the first few years. It's an inspiring illustration of the fact that there are always going to be choices, that some of them will not be obvious or easy to make, but when carried through with courage and an open heart can have a beautiful result. I am happy for both of you.
I would think that coming from no trauma, a grown child MIGHT have a bit of an easier time VS the Grown child who had a lot of abuse and trauma growing up. I would think ,for the abused/traumatic child , they would be more held back by their own mental/emotional baggage.
Thank you for your patience in explaining everything! I remember using the same bathwater as my siblings when we were at our grandparents house. They did not have running water for a long time there. My gradpa would always get in last as he was a coal miner.
So glad to hear that you had good parents and weren’t abused like some of the other children. Thank you for sharing your stories with us it’s so interesting.
Y'all are such a great couple! I recently discovered your channel and can't get enough of it! I hope the rest of Sam's family stops drinking the 'Kook-aid' soon and discovers life in the 'real world' isn't too terrible!
I agree about the laundry being a nightmare. I have 5 kids and it is seriously the only thing (besides their inability to keep the bathroom clean) that I cannot keep up with.
My husband and I have 8 kids and you are right laundry is the hardest to keep up on. I started having a laundry basket for each kid in their closet with their name on it that way when their basket is full I can just wash all of one kids clothes at once. It has really helped and I can keep it up with just one load a day and once in a while 2. For the batbroom I use a bleach tablet in the tank of the toilet so it cuts down in how much I have to scrub the inside of the toilet. I got a small dust buster too so the girls can suck up their hair that gets everywhere when they brush it. No matter what though it is hard with a lot of kids. Praying for you and your laundry situation. It can really become overwhelming at times.
I hate doing laundry for myself, let alone the kids. One tip that made me love doing laundry is--> don’t fold kids home clothes. Just separate them into two piles pants and shirts per kid. And just put them away in a bin. Or drawer. You can make kids do it also. They love doing it cause it’s easy.
Heck girl I have 2 kids and myself and I can’t keep up with the laundry!! Lol something ALWAYS needs to be washed or folded or put away lol it truly never ends. Their dad works out of town so I couldn’t imagine having to deal with his laundry constantly too😬 I only have to deal with his 1 week out of each month whenever he comes home for break
We didn't have water for a while in one of the many ramshackle houses I grew up in (mom had bad bfs and drug problems) I remember going to the river with a bucket to get water to heat for a bath. Early 2000s. You're bath explanation reminded me of it. Crazy stuff ppl go through in childhood smh.
It always amazes me how all these people fit into trailers or houses when you know the house doesn’t have 20 rooms to fit everyone. It totally makes sense to have the boys sleep in one room and the girls in another. And the babies and toddlers with the mamas. I have friends who are Main stream Morman and some of them had a lot of kids and they did the same. I’m a only child from my mom so I grew up alone. I do have a half brother from my dad but have never met him. It sounds like so much fun to me to share a room with a bunch of other kids around your age. The chores have to be so massive though cleaning up after all those kids
I am the oldest of 6 and trust me, it's not fun. I don't even like kids now as an adult. I would never put my kids through the struggle of sharing everything. It's torment.
@@Isabelle-ow3bn I see what you are saying but as someone who grew up the only child I can say with experience it’s very lonely 😔. I always wished I had other siblings to play with and hang out with. Everyone’s experience is different and I know people who have many siblings who loved it and others who didn’t I really just think it depends on the family you grew up in. I like hearing difference in opinions though because I feel it’s what makes us all unique
Yup! I’m an only child and I’m soooo grateful! No way I could handle being around siblings and forced to take care of them. I know from my friends that it’s not all sunshine and rainbows
@@Jenniferalvarez19818 sometimes having siblings can be lonely too! There were periods where my brothers didn’t want anything to do with me 😅 when it’s good it’s good, but there’s no guarantee that siblings will get along, and jealousy is a big deal especially with parents who have limited time and resources.
@@reasonablewalk4982 I can totally see that side of it because I have kids that probably have experienced the same thing. All siblings don’t get along.
With so many people in your family how is your relationship with all of them? Like we’re the other mothers more of a stepmom? Did u address them by there first name? Was there a different relationship between you and your full vs your half siblings and with your dad having that many children were you even able to form a relationship with him? Also was each mother mainly responsible for her own kids?
he left therefore they cannot speak to him. Not to mention they were busy slaving away and having kids they likely didnt build much relationship with each kid. Thet usually call all the mothers "mother NAME"
Hopefully with so many kids in one room they all woke up and went to bed at the same time. With all different schedules that room arrangement would be chaos. I think one positive thing with those arrangements is it taught kids to work together and help each other to make it through each day. Also there had to be a lot of organized structure to make it work.
Hi, UA-cam recommend your channel to me a couple of hours ago (for unknown reasons) and I've been watching many of your videos since. You seem like a really nice couple and above all two good people, very sweet and open minded. I don't know how you have the courage to tell everyone your story, you are really brave. I guess it also has some "therapeutic" effect on you...? I really cannot imagine how weird it must have been to come into the "real" world at 18 years old. I think your videos are very interesting also because I'm italian and I don't think that we have polygamy here or anywhere else in Europe. Really weird stories to hear but always interesting to hear stories very far away from our everyday reality. Thank you guys and may God bless you :)
I wonder how the father paid for this huge family in this day and age? We had 12 children (6 boys/6 girls) in my midwest Catholic family in the 50-60's, two parents, in a three bedroom, 1 bath ranch house. Later (when I was around 12) the basement was finished with another bedroom and bath. Dad was a carpenter, mom cared for us and the home. We were never all living in this house at the same time due to the age span. Usually there were about 8 kids present, one being a baby. We were generally divided into boys and girls with 3 or 4 together in a room. For much of the time, we were 5 kids in one bedroom - two double beds and one single. We had a blast jumping from one bed to the other. Always a baby in my parent's room. Older kids left to college before the youngest were born. Visiting college kids slept on couches.
@@GrowingUpinPolygamy I ended up bingeing your channel after writing that haha. I have so many books on polygamy and cults, it was nice to see someone that actually lived there answer questions. You're a lovely couple!
I think polygamy makes more sense if it were to be the wife having multiple husbands. That way there would be multiple "bread winners" to be able to support not only all the children but so that the wife has more help and support as the women do it ALL and with being expected to have many babies and care for them all as well as all the duties of the house and keeping everything together, as consistent and keeping a routine and method to the madness!
2 husbands and 2 wives in a home, great way to keep the family afloat in a *bread winner* based system. If you want a functional polygamy/ poly relationship it's more than two muscle powerful people+4 higher education folks (no matter gender here, it's about their capabilities) to maintain a good standard of living.
I honestly don't think anyone should enter a non-monogamous relationship unless everyone involved is polyamorous and consenting to it. Unless you're in a country that still "needs" a marriage of convenience there is absolutely no reason to enter a relationship for anything other than mutual self-fufillment.
First of all, thanks for sharing your lives with us online. Second you are such a beautiful couple. And lately, I think you are changing people minds & hearts about the life. And for someone like me who knows nothing about it but online & tv. You are helping me learn & grow. Thank you so very much.
I lived on the farm in Ontario Canada, mom bathed the cleanest first, the baby, then everyone else, a little water first, then add more hot water for each person, dad got in last, he was the dirtiest, and would often complain about using so much water, because he needed it for the cattle, we learned to let out some water before before dad used the tub, problem solved
we had to heat up water on the stove to pour into ice cold water at grandma's house. Then at night you had 12 inches of quilts and you slept in 2 layers and socks. She didn't have but just a gas heater in the Liv room. I woke up several times to go tee early in am to look over in the bath rub and see a deer carcas split in two and soaking from the hunt the night before😳. And then you had to be cautious when eating breakfast because Rabbit/squirrel n gravy peppered with buckshot.. lol is hard on teeth. Well ... you learn how to make it on ..literally nothing. She was young in the depression.
Did you/do you worry about people that know who your dad is well treat you different or dislike you? Has anything like that ever happened before? Thank you for sharing your stories with us. I've always wondered what it would be like living that way and thanks to you people can get a glimpse of that. Thank you so much to you and your beautiful wife for making these videos💕
I know that a lot of it depends on the relationship dynamics. One family I knew of the wives did not get along, so the man of the family built a house for each wife and her children. The man would spend a week at each home, but he would visit each house daily.
I've heard of that in other polygamous groups before. In the FLDS the women were told to "keep sweet" and the families all stayed together. I can't even imagine how hard it was secretly on all the mothers.
The problem with that setup is that it will increase jealousy between wives and children because he will have to divide the time between them. Each wife will began to imagine things while he visits the other wife. But when they all live together everything is transparent and everybody know what's up. Besides you can only do that if you feel good and have good health the moment your health goes you will stay in one place or home until better.
I hope this question isn't rude, I have heard welfare is used to support such large polygamist families because on paper everyone who isn't the legal wife is a "single mother"....is this true?
Hi Sam & Melissa new to your channel. It popped up on my feed so thot I would check it out. I'm now going back to the beginning & am glad there are not thousands to go thru ,lol...All the best ☀️🌻🐝🦋
This was my first video of yours. So fascinating!! Excited to learn more about you guys and Sam’s past! I noticed that he kept referring to his family as “the” mothers, “the” brothers… but then when speaking about his father used possessive language. Is there a specific reason as to that? Just found it interesting but then also thought it might have been for the purpose of the video. Thanks for the awesome video!!
I understand from others that the children wouldn’t be encouraged to be attached to a specific woman as mother. Read another person’s story, they literally did not know who their biological mother was until they were a young adult. Whereas all the children “belong” to a specific father.
From a biblical and spiritual standpoint children and wives belong to their father. Part of his body and of his seed. This is a beautiful concept that many people don’t understand.
Ok. So I literally just finished binge watching EVERY video! I love you guys!! God definitely put you two together and what a blessing for you both! Thank you so much for sharing your lives with all of us in UA-cam land! I can’t wait for more videos! 💕💕💕💕💕💕
Yay found a more recent video! Ty and sorry but occasionally I have a random habit of picking a UA-cam/Facebook page and I say gnite can't wait to see more of your content!
I grew up as an only child so I had my own room. I lived with an s/o at one point when I was 19, and hated sharing a room with someone else. I couldn't imagine sharing a room with so many people.
I cannot imagine what the benefits of this would be. (Easy part is several moms helping out). But serious lack of DNA differences. Sooo many kids sharing at least half their DNA. There is no Darwin diversity.That can't be good for the community.
Sam, as you became a teenager, the brothers that you roomed with, were they cool or ok with if you rebelled or wanted to listen to non-religious music or even try to sneak out? did you know which siblings would maybe tattle?
Hey did you ever had a problem with your father calling each one by there name different? Did he ever get get confused and called each child different name since so many kids?
We weren't allowed to celebrate Christmas or most holidays. Before Warren Jeffs became the prophet we were allowed to celebrate the 4th of July, which was awesome. But when he became prophet, that ended. We sometimes got a cake baked for us on our birthdays, but never any gifts.
I remember a radio program (npr?) about schisms that had a part of it about a Utah group that split over polygamist sleeping arrangements. Some spouses started sleeping (all) together and other families thought this was terrible. I can't remember enough details to track the story down, but would appreciate if anyone else can help.
Very interesting and all makes sense. We always had the youngest nursing one in our room but would try to get it out by about 6 months to a year and then go to it to get some privacy and the clothes issue was similar with 5 but nothing like as many. Sometimes hard to work out whose is whose even now.
How many kids did your Mom have? I don't mind doing laundry. The Job I hate is cleaning the bathroom. My bath room is very clean but I just hate doing it.
Are there polygamist families where the women get to have more than one husband instead? Or in which both males and females do the same chores and stuff like that? I find all different cultures very interesting and I respect all of them, so there is absolutely no judgment on my part, this is purely curiosity. Because something in me does get slightly upset that these styles of marriages are usually very male-centered. And I would find it very interesting if there were cases in which the women got to do what it's usually done my the men in such settings.
In my polygamous community (FLDS) there weren't any situations like that. It was very patriarchal and the women were taught to be subservient to the men.
Yes - in Nepal and Tibet. It's called polyandry if a woman has multiple husbands. Fraternal polyandry is when a woman marries a set of brothers, or men who are considered brothers. Polyandry is often practiced to help keep the family's wealth together, and generally makes it easier to survive. Their children can be considered to have multiple fathers. As far as I know, there isn't much emphasis placed on who the biological father is (but I'm not certain on that one).
Did the really small (toddler or preschool age) boys and girls play together? Did you have a sister you were particularly close to or friends with? Were older children "assigned" smaller children to look out for?
I dont mind doing laundry, as long as my husband stays out of the process. He will mess it up so badly. I appreciate the help but it causes 2x the work.
Man the title threw me. Thought he was the polygamist but that was not at all the case. I had a hard time sharing with one brother and he said twenties sheesh. Amazing!
I'm not going to lie I would love to have all those children around. Mine are growing up far to quickly. All the 😃 faces. I love being a mom and can't wait to be a grandma 💕. My mother in law taught me what it was like to put love into your work and make a house a home and make it magical ✨. Your world 🌎 may have been different than most but but there was beauty in it.
Hey, "the city's" Sam, do you know what happened to that awesome horse you had? Also, if you're still in touch with your cousin Wayne, his perspective would be interesting. ✌ Edit: Sorry, I think it was Ephraims horse.
As long as everyone is happy and chooses to be in that setting then it shouldn’t matter. As long as the children are happy, healthy and well took care of then there’s nothing wrong with it. Like all “normal” families not everything is always perfect but large families and settings like this get way more judgment for every little thing and it’s ridiculous.
The women have not chosen to be in these situations and they have been brainwashed to believe this is the only way God will “approve” of them. I can assure you that there is a lot wrong here. If you don’t believe me, watch more of his videos, especially the one about discipline or the one about education.
Really late to the party on this one so may not be able to get answers. But no worries… So with your father having his own room and the very youngest sleeping in their mother’s room, do you know if your father helped with the babies during the night or did the moms have to handle that on their own? Did the moms help each other during the night? Also, with the moms sleeping in their own rooms with the wee ones, do you know if that means they never spent the whole night with your father? That seems sad to me. Maybe I’m perceiving it incorrectly, but it seems like a wife would only have a sort of part time husband-like only part of a night every fourth night, but during the day he’d be at work and then they’d have to share him with all the children and other wives. These women must be very strong and independent, and I would imagine don’t really look at marriage being very romantic? The man and wife surely must love each other? But are they deeply IN love? Are there deep emotional intimacy bonds? Not even all monogamous marriages have such intimacy so no judgment here. Just studying it all out, and you two do such a wonderful job of sharing in respectful, kind ways. You’re the ones I want to learn from the most because of that.
Idk..i bathe my kids in the same water…as do I in the same bath first..(if we aren’t all super dirty) it conserves water and cuts down on water usage..I really don’t see the problem with that..idk what is with peoples persistence on perverting things..even in a very abnormal situation. Ur husband has such a unique look..obviously you know 😉 he’s attractive lol..but more than that.. he really should look into modeling or acting like he definitely has that unique look to him
As long as we’re laying it all out on the table, I be read many study results that show the older the father sperm, the more likely to have children with birth defects. I am a Special Ed. diagnostician and find it interesting that it’s not always the mothers age but the fathers age too.
That little kids sleeping in the same room like the parents is not uncommon in general 🤷🏻♀️ in Germany it’s usual that baby’s sleep in the same room with the parents to the age of 1. this is expressly recommended by midwives and paediatricians. in addition, the family bed is becoming more and more popular. my twins slept with us in familybed until they were 4 years old. I don't think that has anything to do with polygamy families 😅 In evolutionary terms, nature does not provide for children to sleep alone. if they had done that thousands of years ago then they would have been eaten by wild animals. Small children do not like to sleep alone because of the need for security. they sleep better and more peacefully with their parents nearby.
I like how respectful you still are of your family even though you no longer there. :)
It is interesting that Sam had a happy childhood but still chose a different life for himself, and a life that was a struggle for survival for the first few years. It's an inspiring illustration of the fact that there are always going to be choices, that some of them will not be obvious or easy to make, but when carried through with courage and an open heart can have a beautiful result. I am happy for both of you.
The way you worded that was absolutely beautiful. Thank you.
I would think that coming from no trauma, a grown child MIGHT have a bit of an easier time VS the Grown child who had a lot of abuse and trauma growing up. I would think ,for the abused/traumatic child , they would be more held back by their own mental/emotional baggage.
Melissa is great at asking Sam interesting questions
(Melissa) Aww thanks! =)
I totally agree. She asks the best questions
Idk how this popped up on my feed. So interesting to hear of his childhood. Such a cute couple! Hope you reach lots of people!
Thank you so much!!
Thank you for your patience in explaining everything! I remember using the same bathwater as my siblings when we were at our grandparents house. They did not have running water for a long time there. My gradpa would always get in last as he was a coal miner.
So glad to hear that you had good parents and weren’t abused like some of the other children. Thank you for sharing your stories with us it’s so interesting.
Y'all are such a great couple! I recently discovered your channel and can't get enough of it!
I hope the rest of Sam's family stops drinking the 'Kook-aid' soon and discovers life in the 'real world' isn't too terrible!
Sam has found a much better, much more peaceful lifestyle in his new life with Melissa. God bless you both. So glad you got out of this madness.
Thank you
Sam also has the best roommate he could wish for and alot less crowded I'm sure lol
I don’t think I will ever get tired of hearing your stories. Y’all are so sweet. Thanks for sharing! Have a great weekend!
Thank you! You too!
Me too. I look forward to new videos. I like that he doesn't sensationalize it. He just matter of fact this is how I grew up.
I agree about the laundry being a nightmare. I have 5 kids and it is seriously the only thing (besides their inability to keep the bathroom clean) that I cannot keep up with.
My husband and I have 8 kids and you are right laundry is the hardest to keep up on. I started having a laundry basket for each kid in their closet with their name on it that way when their basket is full I can just wash all of one kids clothes at once. It has really helped and I can keep it up with just one load a day and once in a while 2. For the batbroom I use a bleach tablet in the tank of the toilet so it cuts down in how much I have to scrub the inside of the toilet. I got a small dust buster too so the girls can suck up their hair that gets everywhere when they brush it. No matter what though it is hard with a lot of kids. Praying for you and your laundry situation. It can really become overwhelming at times.
I hate doing laundry for myself, let alone the kids. One tip that made me love doing laundry is--> don’t fold kids home clothes. Just separate them into two piles pants and shirts per kid. And just put them away in a bin. Or drawer. You can make kids do it also. They love doing it cause it’s easy.
@@familyof1052 I only had 2 children and you would have thought I had 5 kids for all the laundry I always did lol
@@rachekleblanc1091 😂
Heck girl I have 2 kids and myself and I can’t keep up with the laundry!! Lol something ALWAYS needs to be washed or folded or put away lol it truly never ends. Their dad works out of town so I couldn’t imagine having to deal with his laundry constantly too😬 I only have to deal with his 1 week out of each month whenever he comes home for break
I don’t know why your channel came up in my UA-cam feed, but I am glad it did.
Sam you have a great voice. You should do voice overs for books 😁
Thanks! I would love to do voice overs, I've just never figured out how to get into that space.
We didn't have water for a while in one of the many ramshackle houses I grew up in (mom had bad bfs and drug problems)
I remember going to the river with a bucket to get water to heat for a bath. Early 2000s. You're bath explanation reminded me of it. Crazy stuff ppl go through in childhood smh.
It always amazes me how all these people fit into trailers or houses when you know the house doesn’t have 20 rooms to fit everyone. It totally makes sense to have the boys sleep in one room and the girls in another. And the babies and toddlers with the mamas. I have friends who are Main stream Morman and some of them had a lot of kids and they did the same. I’m a only child from my mom so I grew up alone. I do have a half brother from my dad but have never met him. It sounds like so much fun to me to share a room with a bunch of other kids around your age. The chores have to be so massive though cleaning up after all those kids
I am the oldest of 6 and trust me, it's not fun. I don't even like kids now as an adult. I would never put my kids through the struggle of sharing everything. It's torment.
@@Isabelle-ow3bn I see what you are saying but as someone who grew up the only child I can say with experience it’s very lonely 😔. I always wished I had other siblings to play with and hang out with. Everyone’s experience is different and I know people who have many siblings who loved it and others who didn’t I really just think it depends on the family you grew up in. I like hearing difference in opinions though because I feel it’s what makes us all unique
Yup! I’m an only child and I’m soooo grateful! No way I could handle being around siblings and forced to take care of them. I know from my friends that it’s not all sunshine and rainbows
@@Jenniferalvarez19818 sometimes having siblings can be lonely too! There were periods where my brothers didn’t want anything to do with me 😅 when it’s good it’s good, but there’s no guarantee that siblings will get along, and jealousy is a big deal especially with parents who have limited time and resources.
@@reasonablewalk4982 I can totally see that side of it because I have kids that probably have experienced the same thing. All siblings don’t get along.
You are such a fun, special couple! Thank you both for your genuine and sweet honesty! Blessings from Gilbert, AZ!
With so many people in your family how is your relationship with all of them? Like we’re the other mothers more of a stepmom? Did u address them by there first name? Was there a different relationship between you and your full vs your half siblings and with your dad having that many children were you even able to form a relationship with him? Also was each mother mainly responsible for her own kids?
he left therefore they cannot speak to him. Not to mention they were busy slaving away and having kids they likely didnt build much relationship with each kid. Thet usually call all the mothers "mother NAME"
Honestly it just makes me happy you got out.
Hopefully with so many kids in one room they all woke up and went to bed at the same time. With all different schedules that room arrangement would be chaos. I think one positive thing with those arrangements is it taught kids to work together and help each other to make it through each day. Also there had to be a lot of organized structure to make it work.
I love hearing about Sam’s childhood. It’s fascinating.
Hi, UA-cam recommend your channel to me a couple of hours ago (for unknown reasons) and I've been watching many of your videos since. You seem like a really nice couple and above all two good people, very sweet and open minded. I don't know how you have the courage to tell everyone your story, you are really brave. I guess it also has some "therapeutic" effect on you...? I really cannot imagine how weird it must have been to come into the "real" world at 18 years old. I think your videos are very interesting also because I'm italian and I don't think that we have polygamy here or anywhere else in Europe. Really weird stories to hear but always interesting to hear stories very far away from our everyday reality. Thank you guys and may God bless you :)
Aww thank you so much! We are glad you found us! =)
Thank you for sharing your life with us.
I wonder how the father paid for this huge family in this day and age?
We had 12 children (6 boys/6 girls) in my midwest Catholic family in the 50-60's, two parents, in a three bedroom, 1 bath ranch house. Later (when I was around 12) the basement was finished with another bedroom and bath. Dad was a carpenter, mom cared for us and the home. We were never all living in this house at the same time due to the age span. Usually there were about 8 kids present, one being a baby. We were generally divided into boys and girls with 3 or 4 together in a room. For much of the time, we were 5 kids in one bedroom - two double beds and one single. We had a blast jumping from one bed to the other. Always a baby in my parent's room. Older kids left to college before the youngest were born. Visiting college kids slept on couches.
The gov.
No ma'am @spikesgirl9371 you know small families get government aid
Randomly stumbled upon this channel, and love hearing these stories. Especially positive ones. Also is she his wife? She looks at him with such love 🥺
(Melissa Responding) Thank you so much! I do love him...a lot haha =) We have been married for almost 7 years. =)
@@GrowingUpinPolygamy I ended up bingeing your channel after writing that haha. I have so many books on polygamy and cults, it was nice to see someone that actually lived there answer questions. You're a lovely couple!
Another awesome video. I always hate to see them come to an end and just want to know more. So glad you two found each other, you're a perfect pair!!
Aww thank you so much!
I just came across the channel, and this is so interesting to learn about! Thank you for educating others!
I think polygamy makes more sense if it were to be the wife having multiple husbands. That way there would be multiple "bread winners" to be able to support not only all the children but so that the wife has more help and support as the women do it ALL and with being expected to have many babies and care for them all as well as all the duties of the house and keeping everything together, as consistent and keeping a routine and method to the madness!
Correct. However there are very few men willing to work with this model. I have tried.
So obvious, right? 🙄 eesh
2 husbands and 2 wives in a home, great way to keep the family afloat in a *bread winner* based system. If you want a functional polygamy/ poly relationship it's more than two muscle powerful people+4 higher education folks (no matter gender here, it's about their capabilities) to maintain a good standard of living.
Religious polygamy is about sex, not helping the family.
I honestly don't think anyone should enter a non-monogamous relationship unless everyone involved is polyamorous and consenting to it. Unless you're in a country that still "needs" a marriage of convenience there is absolutely no reason to enter a relationship for anything other than mutual self-fufillment.
First of all, thanks for sharing your lives with us online. Second you are such a beautiful couple. And lately, I think you are changing people minds & hearts about the life. And for someone like me who knows nothing about it but online & tv. You are helping me learn & grow. Thank you so very much.
Thank you so much. That means so much to us.
I lived on the farm in Ontario Canada, mom bathed the cleanest first, the baby, then everyone else, a little water first, then add more hot water for each person, dad got in last, he was the dirtiest, and would often complain about using so much water, because he needed it for the cattle, we learned to let out some water before before dad used the tub, problem solved
Haha that is awesome! And it's nice to hear that we weren't the only ones!
😳
we had to heat up water on the stove to pour into ice cold water at grandma's house. Then at night you had 12 inches of quilts and you slept in 2 layers and socks. She didn't have but just a gas heater in the Liv room. I woke up several times to go tee early in am to look over in the bath rub and see a deer carcas split in two and soaking from the hunt the night before😳. And then you had to be cautious when eating breakfast because Rabbit/squirrel n gravy peppered with buckshot.. lol is hard on teeth. Well ... you learn how to make it on ..literally nothing. She was young in the depression.
Fascinating! Thanks for another great video!
Hello how are you doing 👋👋👋
Did you/do you worry about people that know who your dad is well treat you different or dislike you? Has anything like that ever happened before? Thank you for sharing your stories with us. I've always wondered what it would be like living that way and thanks to you people can get a glimpse of that. Thank you so much to you and your beautiful wife for making these videos💕
Love your videos so glad you keep posting
Another great vlog, Sam and Melissa! I continue to enjoy all the way from Western Maine!
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching! =)
thank you for sharing and I can't image that what alike you grew up with large families.. it is so awesome your story!
Thank you so much for always watching! We love seeing your name pop up in our comment section! =)
I know that a lot of it depends on the relationship dynamics. One family I knew of the wives did not get along, so the man of the family built a house for each wife and her children. The man would spend a week at each home, but he would visit each house daily.
I've heard of that in other polygamous groups before. In the FLDS the women were told to "keep sweet" and the families all stayed together. I can't even imagine how hard it was secretly on all the mothers.
The problem with that setup is that it will increase jealousy between wives and children because he will have to divide the time between them. Each wife will began to imagine things while he visits the other wife. But when they all live together everything is transparent and everybody know what's up. Besides you can only do that if you feel good and have good health the moment your health goes you will stay in one place or home until better.
$$$where does the money come from?
I hope this question isn't rude, I have heard welfare is used to support such large polygamist families because on paper everyone who isn't the legal wife is a "single mother"....is this true?
Yes it is. Some of the leaders of the church are actually in prison right now for fraud and abusing the welfare system.
Hi Sam & Melissa new to your channel. It popped up on my feed so thot I would check it out. I'm now going back to the beginning & am glad there are not thousands to go thru ,lol...All the best ☀️🌻🐝🦋
What a gorgeous couple! Thanks for these videos. They’re so interesting.
Aww thank you! You are so sweet!
This was my first video of yours. So fascinating!! Excited to learn more about you guys and Sam’s past! I noticed that he kept referring to his family as “the” mothers, “the” brothers… but then when speaking about his father used possessive language. Is there a specific reason as to that? Just found it interesting but then also thought it might have been for the purpose of the video.
Thanks for the awesome video!!
I understand from others that the children wouldn’t be encouraged to be attached to a specific woman as mother. Read another person’s story, they literally did not know who their biological mother was until they were a young adult. Whereas all the children “belong” to a specific father.
From a biblical and spiritual standpoint children and wives belong to their father. Part of his body and of his seed. This is a beautiful concept that many people don’t understand.
@@ElCapitanKG your a nutcase😤
@@evelinholmes6401 , why do you say that?
@@ElCapitanKG cause it's true
Ok. So I literally just finished binge watching EVERY video! I love you guys!! God definitely put you two together and what a blessing for you both! Thank you so much for sharing your lives with all of us in UA-cam land! I can’t wait for more videos! 💕💕💕💕💕💕
Aww thank you so much!!! You are so sweet, and we are so happy you are here! =)
Yay found a more recent video! Ty and sorry but occasionally I have a random habit of picking a UA-cam/Facebook page and I say gnite can't wait to see more of your content!
Very beatiful. Thanks for your videos
I grew up as an only child so I had my own room. I lived with an s/o at one point when I was 19, and hated sharing a room with someone else. I couldn't imagine sharing a room with so many people.
I would hate sharing just the bathroom with so many.😖
You have such interesting stories. What a start to life! How many full siblings and half siblings do you have?
Could listen to these alllllll day. Thank you for sharing!!! You two are so great
Thanks for sharing your life with us! I was wondering if you guys were allowed to have a camera to take pictures?
I cannot imagine what the benefits of this would be. (Easy part is several moms helping out). But serious lack of DNA differences. Sooo many kids sharing at least half their DNA. There is no Darwin diversity.That can't be good for the community.
9:13 The trauma of leaving your family and everything you had ever known isn't something to be diminished. 💔❤️
Very interesting!! Thank you so much for sharing.
Thanks for watching!
Thank you for enlightening us to this information. Woof.
Sam, as you became a teenager, the brothers that you roomed with, were they cool or ok with if you rebelled or wanted to listen to non-religious music or even try to sneak out? did you know which siblings would maybe tattle?
Hey did you ever had a problem with your father calling each one by there name different? Did he ever get get confused and called each child different name since so many kids?
I agree with melissa I hate laundry I have 4 kids folding and putting away takes for ever.
(Melissa) YYEEESSSS. The folding and putting away is the worst part!
What happened around Christmas, Birthdays and Gifts?
We weren't allowed to celebrate Christmas. They considered it a Pagan holiday. Sometimes we would get a cake on our birthdays, but never gifts.
@@GrowingUpinPolygamy Yule IS a pagan holiday, and we enjoy the heck out of it!
I have some questions... Did you guys celebrate Christmas and birthdays? and were there any specific holidays that were celebrated?
We weren't allowed to celebrate Christmas or most holidays. Before Warren Jeffs became the prophet we were allowed to celebrate the 4th of July, which was awesome. But when he became prophet, that ended. We sometimes got a cake baked for us on our birthdays, but never any gifts.
Love hearing your stories lovely couple.
My family shared bath water too. Now I really appreciate my own bath water ❤️
I remember a radio program (npr?) about schisms that had a part of it about a Utah group that split over polygamist sleeping arrangements. Some spouses started sleeping (all) together and other families thought this was terrible. I can't remember enough details to track the story down, but would appreciate if anyone else can help.
Thanks for sharing. You seem like a very well adjusted young man.
Thank you. =)
Very interesting and all makes sense. We always had the youngest nursing one in our room but would try to get it out by about 6 months to a year and then go to it to get some privacy and the clothes issue was similar with 5 but nothing like as many. Sometimes hard to work out whose is whose even now.
How many kids did your Mom have? I don't mind doing laundry. The Job I hate is cleaning the bathroom. My bath room is very clean but I just hate doing it.
Melissa: "He still is." :-)
Girl I hear you!!! I hate laundry! I would rather do literally any other chore!!
(Melissa) YEEEESSSSSS! I am giving you a virtual high five right now haha. =)
Thanks for sharing! Are either of you on TikTok?
Are there polygamist families where the women get to have more than one husband instead? Or in which both males and females do the same chores and stuff like that? I find all different cultures very interesting and I respect all of them, so there is absolutely no judgment on my part, this is purely curiosity. Because something in me does get slightly upset that these styles of marriages are usually very male-centered. And I would find it very interesting if there were cases in which the women got to do what it's usually done my the men in such settings.
In my polygamous community (FLDS) there weren't any situations like that. It was very patriarchal and the women were taught to be subservient to the men.
Yes - in Nepal and Tibet. It's called polyandry if a woman has multiple husbands. Fraternal polyandry is when a woman marries a set of brothers, or men who are considered brothers. Polyandry is often practiced to help keep the family's wealth together, and generally makes it easier to survive. Their children can be considered to have multiple fathers. As far as I know, there isn't much emphasis placed on who the biological father is (but I'm not certain on that one).
That’s ALOT of laundry. I can imagine how much money needed to be spent on detergent and dryer sheets just to clean all of that.
Sam is adorable.
Like common law arrangements, there was a reason for polygamy during the early times, that ship has sailed!
As long as everyone is adults, I don’t care what people do!
@@serobinson1 but in FLDS they were not all adults!
@@serobinson1 they're not always adults though
@@serobinson1 If you don't care about what other people do, then you shouldn't care if other people DO care about what other people do. 🤷♀️
6:40 “it was good time.” lol
Melissa, do a video about your growing up as LDS not the polygamy.
(Melissa) That's a great idea. I never think that my story is as interesting haha so I appreciate you asking! =)
I was wondering how Sam's sister is doing who was on some earlier videos.
Me to can’t wait for them to have her back on!
Teffie!!! ❤️
Did the really small (toddler or preschool age) boys and girls play together? Did you have a sister you were particularly close to or friends with? Were older children "assigned" smaller children to look out for?
How did Melissa grow up?
I dont mind doing laundry, as long as my husband stays out of the process. He will mess it up so badly. I appreciate the help but it causes 2x the work.
Was it stressful for your father to balance all those people? Did he seem stressed or grumpy about it?
I have a question how old is your father and the mothers?
Hi guys ☀️
Hi!!! =)
Man the title threw me. Thought he was the polygamist but that was not at all the case. I had a hard time sharing with one brother and he said twenties sheesh. Amazing!
I'm not going to lie I would love to have all those children around. Mine are growing up far to quickly. All the 😃 faces. I love being a mom and can't wait to be a grandma 💕. My mother in law taught me what it was like to put love into your work and make a house a home and make it magical ✨. Your world 🌎 may have been different than most but but there was beauty in it.
What did you call the other moms ?
We would call them "Mother (their first name)" =)
😃so interesting 🤗 thank you both 🥰
Thank you so much for watching!
What did you call all the mothers in the home? Did/do you call them all mom?
We called them "Mother (first name)"
Hey, "the city's" Sam, do you know what happened to that awesome horse you had? Also, if you're still in touch with your cousin Wayne, his perspective would be interesting. ✌
Edit: Sorry, I think it was Ephraims horse.
As long as everyone is happy and chooses to be in that setting then it shouldn’t matter. As long as the children are happy, healthy and well took care of then there’s nothing wrong with it. Like all “normal” families not everything is always perfect but large families and settings like this get way more judgment for every little thing and it’s ridiculous.
The women have not chosen to be in these situations and they have been brainwashed to believe this is the only way God will “approve” of them. I can assure you that there is a lot wrong here. If you don’t believe me, watch more of his videos, especially the one about discipline or the one about education.
So interesting thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Really late to the party on this one so may not be able to get answers. But no worries…
So with your father having his own room and the very youngest sleeping in their mother’s room, do you know if your father helped with the babies during the night or did the moms have to handle that on their own? Did the moms help each other during the night? Also, with the moms sleeping in their own rooms with the wee ones, do you know if that means they never spent the whole night with your father? That seems sad to me. Maybe I’m perceiving it incorrectly, but it seems like a wife would only have a sort of part time husband-like only part of a night every fourth night, but during the day he’d be at work and then they’d have to share him with all the children and other wives. These women must be very strong and independent, and I would imagine don’t really look at marriage being very romantic? The man and wife surely must love each other? But are they deeply IN love? Are there deep emotional intimacy bonds? Not even all monogamous marriages have such intimacy so no judgment here. Just studying it all out, and you two do such a wonderful job of sharing in respectful, kind ways. You’re the ones I want to learn from the most because of that.
Idk..i bathe my kids in the same water…as do I in the same bath first..(if we aren’t all super dirty) it conserves water and cuts down on water usage..I really don’t see the problem with that..idk what is with peoples persistence on perverting things..even in a very abnormal situation. Ur husband has such a unique look..obviously you know 😉 he’s attractive lol..but more than that.. he really should look into modeling or acting like he definitely has that unique look to him
(Melissa) I agree with you about the acting and modeling! I totally scored in the handsome hubby department.
So interesting
good looking couple
As long as we’re laying it all out on the table, I be read many study results that show the older the father sperm, the more likely to have children with birth defects. I am a Special Ed. diagnostician and find it interesting that it’s not always the mothers age but the fathers age too.
That seems so lonely sleeping in a room by yourself away from your husband
This is a harem.
This is not cool. Anybody realize that?
That little kids sleeping in the same room like the parents is not uncommon in general 🤷🏻♀️ in Germany it’s usual that baby’s sleep in the same room with the parents to the age of 1. this is expressly recommended by midwives and paediatricians. in addition, the family bed is becoming more and more popular. my twins slept with us in familybed until they were 4 years old. I don't think that has anything to do with polygamy families 😅 In evolutionary terms, nature does not provide for children to sleep alone. if they had done that thousands of years ago then they would have been eaten by wild animals. Small children do not like to sleep alone because of the need for security. they sleep better and more peacefully with their parents nearby.
Were y’all amazed at technology?
Absolutely! haha Definitely took time to get the hang of it all!
Thanks algorithm
Do you think your “Father” liked having multiple wives, or did he just accept the expectation?
I think he believes that it is what God wants and chooses obedience to God over his feelings.
Good grief that was a heck of a lot of kids squashed into a trailer even if it was double wide
"he still is" XD
36????
Kids????
Who is paying for everybody?