MFP 382: The Shape of a Growing Family
Messy Family Podcast : Catholic Conversations on Marriage and Family
Mike and Alicia Hernon : Catholic Marriage Parent and Family
4.9 • 841 Ratings
🗓️ 18 May 2026
⏱️ 66 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
"Some call it chaos, we call it family."
Summary
In this listener-driven episode we will tackle the real-life tension of raising a big family through changing seasons. What happens when your college kids come home expecting independence, but your house still runs on structure? How do you manage media, respect, and responsibility without turning every conversation into a power struggle? We also dig into the quieter challenges: surviving pregnancy while caring for little ones, creating meaningful one-on-one time in a full house, and keeping family dinners from unraveling into chaos. Along the way, we address a heavier worry many parents carry—can you build a large, healthy family without burning out or placing too much on older kids? Listen in for some honest, practical guidance grounded in real experience.
For more information on this and other topics visit: https://www.messyfamilyproject.org/
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Family, all in this together. |
| 0:08.2 | Family, we're taking a chance. |
| 0:10.8 | Family, like birds of a feather. |
| 0:13.3 | Family, you got my shoes and dance. |
| 0:15.4 | Hey, we are Mike and Alicia Hernin. |
| 0:17.4 | We have 10 kids and grandkids too, and we are here for every parent. Because we are on a |
| 0:22.2 | mission to empower moms and dads to embrace their sacred calling. So join the conversation. |
| 0:28.3 | Family, we're taking a chance. |
| 0:32.3 | Welcome to the podcast. We're so glad you joined us today. This is the messy family podcast, |
| 0:37.4 | but we are elevated today. If you're watching us, if you don't know, you joined us. This is the messy family podcast, but we are elevated today. |
| 0:39.6 | If you're watching us, if you don't know, you can watch this on YouTube. |
| 0:44.1 | And right now we have, we're going to be talking about or we're going to be unpacking some listener questions, responding to questions. |
| 0:52.0 | We get these questions and we love them because they're, |
| 0:59.4 | they're great, they're insightful and they hopefully speak right to people's life. |
| 1:05.0 | But we're joined, as usual, by the golden one. |
| 1:07.4 | Your first morning. |
| 1:12.2 | So we pulled Katie out of maternity leave to join us. That's right. So we pulled Katie out of maternity leave to join us to. That's right. |
| 1:14.9 | It's a good thing I like you guys. |
| 1:16.7 | Yes. |
| 1:17.2 | Yes. |
| 1:17.6 | Well, we couldn't do it all the time. |
| 1:19.1 | We couldn't do listener questions without you, you know, because I love it. |
... |
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