What do Benjamin Franklin, Eleanor Roosevelt, Paul Revere, and John-Boy Walton all share in common? They grew up in big families—and their stories suggest that large households can shape remarkable leaders and change the course of history. In this episode, we reflect on history, literature, and lived experience to ask whether strong, bustling families offer something our society is missing today.

Listeners are invited into two timeless family stories: The Waltons, inspired by Earl Hamner Jr.’s Depression-era childhood, and Cheaper by the Dozen, the laugh-out-loud memoir of the Gilbreth clan. Both celebrate the chaos, cooperation, and love that make families—whether by blood or by choice—the foundation of resilience and joy. This episode is a tribute to the way family life, in all its forms, teaches tolerance and patience, shapes leaders, builds nations, and forges cherished relationships that are far more valuable than material success.

SOURCES: My Parents Have 11 Children. Here’s Why I’m Grateful to Be Part of a Big Family by Theresa Olohan (USA Today)

Could Larger Families Produce Better Leaders, as in the Early Days of the Nation by Michael Barone (Creators Syndicate)

Family Unfriendly by Tim Carney

The Nuclear Family Was a Mistake by David Brooks (The Atlantic)

The Waltons (TV Series, available on Prime Video)

Cheaper by the Dozen by Frank Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth.

Music credits: "The Waltons" theme song by Jerry Goldsmith, "The Waltons" theme song piano cover by calikokat08 on YouTube.