The Danielsons : Eight Children

AS MORMONS, DARREL AND LINDA Danielson of Torrance are expected to give birth to as many children as they feel they can manage. For some church members, three or four kids are enough. Others have 10 or 12. The Danielsons have eight, ranging in age from 4 to 19.

Both Darrel, 42, and Linda, 40, who met as students at Brigham Young University, grew up with several siblings--he had four; she had seven. They always intended to have a large family. And the cycle is about to begin again; their eldest daughter, Patricia, who attends BYU, is to be married this spring.

Mormons adhere to scriptural commands to multiply and replenish the earth. But beyond that, they believe that everyone existed spiritually before they came to earth, where they must attain a body, be tested, die, then move on. Mormons believe that all spirits must have an opportunity to be embodied, and that is another reason they have so many children.

But there are other reasons. “The joy you get from having children is magnified when you have more,” Linda Danielson says. “There’s more love, more interaction, more play.”

The Danielsons have four girls and four boys. And with each child, there are differences. “Every single one has a distinct personality,” Linda says. “They just come with them. You think you know how to raise them, after five or six, and then you get to the youngest and it’s a whole other story.”

From the time they were able to walk, the Danielson children have been responsible for helping to take care of the house. “Part of being in a family is helping,” Linda says, “and it’s something we taught them early.” As a result, every room in their house is clean and well-organized.

“During the week, we’re up by 6, if not before,” says Linda. “Before they leave for school, the littlest one takes the trash out, the next older one unloads the dishwasher, and the rest of them clean the living room, dining room, back bedrooms and pick up outside. They work on a rotating schedule; they have a different job each week.”

Long ago, when the older children were still young, the Danielsons devised family rules. For example, if a child left a possession lying around and someone else had to pick it up, the one who lost it had to pay a quarter to get it back. If it wasn’t claimed within two or three days, the price went up. If someone bothered or hurt another, the names of the victim and perpetrator were put on a list. At the end of a few weeks, the family met and decided what the consequences would be. For instance, a name-caller might have had to do a whole load of dinner dishes for the object of his name-calling. A child found guilty of teasing might have lost TV privileges for a week. But now that the children know the rules, Linda says, “we never have to have family meetings anymore.”

Linda worked as a secretary before her first child was born but has been a full-time mother since. Her husband, whom she describes as a terrific father, just started a new job in crew planning and scheduling for Flying Tigers, the air transportation service. “When the children were little,” Linda says, “he was always right in there helping. He wasn’t one of those husbands who comes home from work and stares into space. There were a lot of babies and he was always in there, helping with the feeding and changing.”

Last spring, Darrel found himself without a job. His employer, Western Airlines, was bought by Delta, which offered Darrel a job in Atlanta that gave him less responsibility, Linda says. He decided not to uproot the family. It took six months to find another job, during which he did some consulting work. “The church tells us to save money and to store food,” Linda says, “and it got us through that period without too much stress.”

Linda says she saves money by serving simple meals and passing clothes down the ranks when the older children outgrow them. The Danielson children have been raised to know the value of a dollar. Everybody works. One daughter gives piano lessons. Another sells athletic shoes. Other children baby-sit. Each receives a $5 allowance every two weeks. “We provide the necessities,” Linda says. “They provide everything else.”

The Danielsons intend to have no more children, and Linda says she will not miss having an infant around the house. “I’m ready for another era of my life,” she says. “The baby era was a precious one. They love you unconditionally, even when your teen-agers don’t. But I’m ready to go on.”