The fact is that the patriarch of the Old House branch of the McKenna Family, Morgan, has not much use for children in general. It was one reason that he shied away from settling down at all. But, of course, Amy changes that for him. After he decides that he can't get along without Amy, he admits that children, as he states once, "come with the territory". A necessary evil, but an evil nonetheless.
Until he gets his own.
And then, even Morgan discovers that children have that magical, irrefutable hold over him. His son captures him, his first daughter totally enchants him. He's a gonner, just like he's supposed to be. And he is at a loss how it even happened.
Other generations of the Family follow suit, either willingly or not. Back in the early days of the last century, especially in the rural community, big families were almost a necessity to help work the land.
And, the hard fact was that many, many children didn't live past early childhood. Simple illnesses like sore throats turned out to be strep, which led to scarlet fever which led to rheumatic fever. Childhood diseases decimated families. A small cut could fester and go septic. Accidents on the farm could kill in an instant. Old cemeteries outside country churches hold rows of small markers next to the larger ones of mothers and fathers. It happened all the time.
It was small wonder that, in some families, the parents seemed aloof and detached from their flocks of kids. They could lose them at any time; their hearts could stand only so much grief.
The McKennas raise hardy, healthy kids. The parents are, for the most part, diligent in watching over them. When tragedy strikes, their grief is deep-reaching. But, they also have deep faith and, although they have their times of straying from it and are shaken in it, they know where to find it when the time comes.
Some parts of the Family love children so much that others' children become included in the clan. This leads to problems sometimes, and to outright hostility at others. Then there are a few of the Family who refuse to acknowledge the children they do have, which leads to some far-reaching consequences.
But, there's nothing like a new baby. Even the most cynical of the group admit that. Even with the risk of losing their hearts and their sanity in trying to raise them to adulthood, they realize that it is worth it. As a newcomer to Old House once sees at the announcement of another baby on the way:
"...He had never been in the middle of a family when such a thing was revealed and he had never seen such an explosion of rapture with which the announcement was greeted. He thought that it was as nobody had ever had a baby before." (Outsiders)
But, as scripture tells us, pride goeth before a fall and just as the McKennas begin to be secure in the fact that they take care of their own children in an exemplary manner, one comes back to the fold to point up the fact that, right in the middle of the group, there were strings attached. There are some skeletons in the family closet, they will step out and make themselves known. And then, in that odd way that life has, they will turn out to be blessings in the end.
Babies seem to always be blessings. Even the oddest, more ornery, most aggravating ones are still blessings. And their beauty comes through in time.