Big families are interesting to say the least. I am the youngest of six kids. Eight people in one household wasn't exactly a walk in the park growing up, but it was a fun ride! If you're like me and live in a crazy household with lots of people, you'll understand these things.
1. Your bedroom is not your own.
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Hello visitors all the time. Hello siblings walking in and out whenever they please. Many times I would walk into my room after school and find at least one of my siblings just relaxing on my bed or looking through my things.
2. Closets in the house are basically a retail store.
Sister got a new top? Yes please, I’ll give it a try. Brother got a new jacket? Let's put on a fashion show. Basically whatever they had, I wanted, no matter if it fit me or even looked good for that matter.
3. If you don’t eat fast, you don’t eat.
When mom yelled, “Dinner’s ready!” you knew you had to book it to the kitchen to get a decent amount of food. If you came 10 minutes later, everything was basically gone and you were stuck eating a microwave dinner or a can of soup.
4. Personal space? Not really a thing.
Every area of the house is shared space. The bathroom, kitchen, living room, bedroom; pretty much everywhere. That personal bubble of yours doesn't really exist until you move out.
5. Hand-me-downs.
I don't even think I have to explain this, but I will anyway. Anything that your older siblings wore before you (doesn't matter if it's a brother or a sister,) will eventually find it's way to your closet. I just realized the other day that I still have some athletic shorts of my sister's that are at least ten years old!
6. It is never quiet.
Trying to do homework? It's loud. Reading a book? Loud. Watching a movie? Loud. Always loud, never quiet. Quiet isn't something that happens in a big household.
7. Competition.
I would say that in general I'm not a competitive person. However if you put me in a room with my family and a Catch Phrase machine, it's over. Everyone eventually starts screaming and is angry by the end of the game. My sisters would turn everything into a competition; eating, running, reading a book, etc. It did not matter what it was.
8. Attending events.
I was at every basketball and soccer game, tennis match, track meet, choir concert, etc. If my siblings were in it, I was there; whether I wanted to be or not.
9. Oh you're so-and-so's sister/brother?
I cannot tell you how many times I heard this phrase growing up. Insert any five of my siblings name into the blank, and I heard it. Or, insert my last name into the phrase "Oh you're a "_____"?" Everyone knew who I was because of who my siblings were. We all had red hair, so I guess the fact that I had red hair didn't help.
10. Sharing.
Whether you did it because you wanted to or because you had to, sharing was in your middle name. Food, clothing, toys, computers, TV time, etc. You shared it all for as long as your siblings were in the house.
11. A whole lot of love.
No matter how often you got irritated or annoyed with your siblings and parents, at the end of the day you experienced more love than you ever thought was possible.
A small family would be easier for sure: more space, less sharing, more privacy, and less noise. But in the end, you wouldn’t have it any other way.
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