Dawn’s testimony appeared in the January 2001 issue of the Witness.

It is hard to believe that 18 years have gone by since my children were born. The trials, grief, and frustrations of trying to conceive children were all worth it. I remember how excited I was to finally be told we were pregnant and then finding out we were being blessed with four babies! I would have been satisfied and thrilled with having one child after all we had gone through with infertility and subsequent treatments. My pregnancy truly was a gift from God.

What does family life look like now that the quadruplets are older?

Still busy. Duncan, Anna, Trevor, and Megan are four very different people who have blessed every minute of our lives. Growing up, they were four busy children with many interests and talents: marching band, musicals, clubs, community service, parades, and social events. There was always something going on within our household. Thankfully, the Lord blessed me with employment at the high school they attended. This made for easier transportation and scheduling. I got to see my kids grow up in an environment where we all could be salt and light to those around us. In a public school they had friends who had many different backgrounds and situations. Their friends knew they always had a safe place—whether in school or at our home—to go to about anything. If you are their friend, they have your back and will support you no matter what. They treat others with respect but are not afraid to tell them the truth in love.

Now that college has started, I am surprised by how busy we still are. Duncan, Anna, Trevor, and Megan drive together in the morning, but there is still the need to schedule early pick-ups and drop-offs from classes and jobs. They are learning time management, how to meet new people, and balancing job and class time.

What are each of the quadruplets studying/working toward?

All four are attending Geneva College. They have been blessed by their hard work in high school with grants and scholarships that made Geneva affordable for them. Anna is pursuing her degree in nursing, Trevor is majoring in computer engineering, and Duncan and Megan are undecided at this time.

How has the church been a part of your family? What suggestions do you have for how believers can support one another?

Church has always been a priority in our family. My husband, Craig, and I have always taught them that attending church is important. If you stay up late Saturday night, you are still expected to attend church the next morning. Of course there are exceptions, but they are few and far between. Our family at Tusca RPC has always been just that, a family—especially in the early years.

Our church has been through a lot of changes. In just 18 years, it doesn’t even look the same. Many people have come and gone, others have gone home to be with the Lord, and still others are new and didn’t know us when our children were born. But each family has been a blessing to us and to the church as a whole. The best thing about Tusca is that we are a praying church. Though you might not be able to help someone physically or financially, you can support them through prayer.

How did your parenting transition over the years?

I don’t know if we have ever done typical parenting, which is probably due to the fact that my children are multiples. We talked about issues and topics as they would come up. Some of our best family conversations occurred in the van while we were driving or just sitting in the living room watching the news. It is important to be very honest about things up front. We tried not to sugarcoat things; however, we did keep topics to a level they were able to process at their age. We always tried to ask, How as a Christian should we react towards this? Or what do you think God wants us to do or say to that person? Through these questions and the conversations that followed, we taught real-time and real-life lessons with a biblical perspective for the world that they lived in. These are parenting techniques that haven’t really changed.

As you know, parenting involves discipline. As the quadruplets were growing up, punishment involved being sent to their room for a short time, less time playing video games, or less time on the computer. As they grew older, these consequences for bad behavior still applied—although a stern look from Mom usually sent them into a complete sense of guilt and remorse. An apology from them and a hug usually was the end of it as long as a lesson was learned.

What are some of the blessings you have seen while raising your family?

Where do I start! To see my children grow up happy and healthy. To see how they interact with each other has been so much fun. All through their lives, it has been a joy to see how they care for each other. They fight on occasion, but not too often. They truly have each other’s backs—even when it came to school bullies. They are each other’s best friend. Even through some illness or heartbreak, it has been a blessing to see how things have turned out for the better. It has made my faith stronger to see how God is at work in all of our lives and that, even in hard times, He is always with us.

What advice do you have to those who are raising multiples or young children?

One of the things I love to share about having multiples is that it is much easier, in some respects, than having four children of different ages. Don’t get me wrong; that first year or so is very difficult, and you will be exhausted. Having them all the same age meant we were on the same page with homework and after-school activities such as band and musical. You can spend all your time with all of them and not worry about someone taking care of the baby. They don’t argue like typical teenage siblings, because there is no competition to be equal. There is also no younger sibling being annoying and intruding in to your personal business. Everyone can be at the same place during vacations to amusement parks so you don’t have to split time between kiddie rides and grown-up rides.

It is important to remember that, even though multiples are the same age, they are completely different people and to acknowledge them as individuals. Never compare them to each other. They are so different. I remember several times telling them, “You are not your brother/sister. You are your own person and you can’t compare yourself to them.” They will perform differently academically, in sports, with talents, etc.—that is what is so wonderfully unique about each of them. We have three artists of varying degrees and subject matters (the fourth can draw a wonderful stick figure), a singer, a drummer, a Lord of the Rings expert, two Dungeons and Dragons players, anime enthusiasts, and all will admit to being social awkward (been there). Above all, they have a heart for Jesus that shows in how they show others kindness.

My best advice to any parent is to make sure your children have met Jesus and pray about everything. When my children had a bad dream, I prayed aloud with them while lying in bed with them. When things just are not going right, pray. As a parent, when you see your child suffering from stress or a broken heart, and you wish you could take away the pain and can’t, pray. It’s not usually an instant fix, but I never remember anyone not being able to sleep at night. God brings peace to parent and to child (no matter how old they are).

What parenting advice do you have to those whose children are older or might be out of the house?

Currently, all four commute to Geneva, so I don’t have an empty nest yet. I will admit, I am not looking forward to one. The quadruplets are such a large part of our lives, and to imagine them not there is a bit sad. But, if we have done our job in raising them, those voids will be filled with other wonderful things as time goes on, such as more time with my husband, future in-laws, and grandchildren.

Truly, this is how we have tried to raise our children: “Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it” (Prov. 22:6), and “Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up” (Deut. 11:18–19).

Every morning I send out in our group chat a Bible verse for the day. I want to inspire them (and myself) to start each day with God’s Word. My hope for all of them as they go forward is this: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight” (Prov. 3:5–7).

Dawn Claerbaut has been married to Craig for 26 years. She worked as a teacher’s aide at Western Beaver High School for 11 years and was a school musical producer. When her kids were in high school, she was involved with the school musical for 8 years, band treasurer for 4 years. They are members of Tusca (Beaver, Pa.) RPC.