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They’re one Brigg happy family.Paul and Jeane Briggs already have their hands full with 37 children, but the West Virginia couple say they won’t rule out adopting more.Married since 1976, the couple share five biological children and 32 adopted children, ranging in age from 10 to 47.
In a new interview with PEOPLE, the Briggs say they always knew they were meant to have kids, but not quite this many.“There was never any talk of a megafamily,” Paul, 71, told the outlet.“There was never this, ‘Well, let’s try to get to this number or that number.’ It was really just a series of events that continued to bring more children in.”And despite their supersized family, they’re not totally ruling out a new addition.“If someone knocked on my door with a child.
… I’d prefer one that’s not a baby,” Jeane, 69, told PEOPLE.After raising their five biological children, the Briggs began adopting kids in 1985 when they adopted their son Abraham from Mexico.Legally blind, Abraham is one of the Briggs 14 children who live in their 5,000 square-foot home.In the busy Briggs household, everyone has their fair share of work to do.
The kids are assigned daily tasks and weekly chores, and older children rotate as Jeane’s assistants at the grocery store.“When you have that many people under one roof, if they don’t have anything to do, they’re going to find something to do,” Paul said.Over the years, the family has become less strict about cellphone and bedtime rules, but they always manage to get to church on time.“We’ve heard parents joke that they struggle to get one or two children to church on time, while our entire family regularly arrives early,” they told PEOPLE.The family told PEOPLE they rely on Paul’s salary and company benefits as well as government assistance for three of their children with disabilities.In a 2014 interview with Today, Paul revealed the couple spends an eye-watering $52,000 at the supermarket each year.In that in...