Jenny Bouchard and Jean-François Boutin chose the countryside to see their nine children grow up. Owners of a small farmhouse in Rapide-Danseur, near La Sarre in Abitibi, the couple raise a dozen cattle and transport the kids in a 15-passenger vehicle.
“My great-grandmother had been 12. I always said: I don’t see why, I couldn’t make it to 10,” says the mother.
She loves children so much that she would start all over again. Diapers, feedings, sleepless nights… but she would like to do it without prejudice.
“You must have a big allowance. Do you know what condoms are? Gang of polluters”, she has heard them all, these derogatory remarks.
Judgments are sometimes heavy to bear.
“What I find appalling is that they tell us that in front of young people. And we’re sick of being told about allowances. We have the same ratio as everyone else.
Nine mouths to feed
Like all large families at the dawn of 2023, buying food is the highest expense item.
On average, the grocery bill goes up to $800 a week.
“The cost of living doesn’t make sense. As my husband says: you know why you get up in the morning and go to work, says the mother. Fortunately, we save on meat.
With nine mouths to feed, the Boutin-Bouchards rely on supermarket discounts to save money. However, they come up against limited quantities.
This restriction was also denounced by all the families met for this report. Indeed, when grocery stores offer significant discounts, they often restrict, for example, to 2 per customer maximum.
“In general, everything is thought out for two adults and two children,” lament these families.
“The bricks of cheese on special, you have the right to three, I can pass them in the same meal. They don’t realize that I take three dozen eggs to make one morning, ”explains the 44-year-old mother.
She is asking for a government waiver, an exception that would allow families with six or more children to meet their gigantic needs.
A way of life
Having a family of nine children in the countryside comes with a distinctive lifestyle.
The mother has already been homeschooled and she makes clothes.
Parents have also chosen to use washable toilet paper, but only for small needs.
The Boutin-Bouchards would not have wanted to run arenas every weekend. They prefer outdoor activities like snowmobiling and mountain biking. Not to mention that the children help out on the farm.
Holidays are also different. In 2016, the family took a rare two-week trip to Florida. A possibility that is no longer possible due to the exorbitant cost of gasoline and the plane is inaccessible.
“To take the plane, I would have to mortgage the house,” said the mother with her outspokenness. A speech that we also heard from other families.
Either way, the family thrives at home. During the holiday season, the oldest who are in school or in the labor market return to their native Abitibi.
On December 25, the cabin is full for brunch, other family members join in the celebrations, and everyone tells stories.
“Children are a gift of life that I am lucky to have,” concludes the mother.
