Randy Potts II, father to 11
There’s a lot to take on as a father. Randy Potts II has taken on more than most.
Potts, 45, is father to 11 children and five grandchildren. And if that isn’t enough, the Yuba City resident has five siblings.
“There’s a lot of, ‘Hey you, come here’ in my house, ‘No, not you, you,’” said Potts. “There’s always something going on here with friends coming over and doing activities with the kids.”
Two of Potts’ children work for his towing company, one is in the Air Force, one is a cabinetmaker, one lives in Oregon, one is a recent Yuba College graduate, three are recent high school graduates and two are in elementary school.
“I’m so glad for my wife, Sarah, being the person that she is because if it wasn’t for her, we couldn’t do it,” Potts said. “They’ve done football, track and all that stuff, and I help out with football so that they have a good, enjoyable experience.”
There are challenges to having that many kids in the troop. Expenses, for instance. Family outings can be a little expensive.
“A trip to the movies typically costs a family about $40 with snacks,” Potts said. “Not in our house where it can range from between $120 and $170 depending on how many snacks we get.”
As the oldest of six children, Potts didn’t plan on having children but was very familiar with living in a large household.
“My whole life, ever since I was a kid, was all about taking care of siblings and helping raise my brothers and sister,” Potts said. “My grandmother took care of us most of the time and she worked, too.”
He had to become a child parent and said his grandmother was a constant in his life.
“Grandparents are raising their grandchildren – you have 70-year-olds talking care of their grandchildren when they should be enjoying the twilight of their lives.” Potts said. “I think my generation in the ’70s was the first generation that really started having to step in for the parents with the lifestyles that were being lived back then.
“As a child, I didn’t plan on having any kids, but if I did have kids, I didn’t want to raise them the way I was raised. We found out we were having a kid when Sarah was 17, and then we got married at 18 and have been together since.”
Potts said it’s always nice, as a parent, to see his children succeed and lead a good life.