I'm the youngest of seven kids. That meant the leash got longer and longer with every new kid-- so yes, I had the longest leash. My siblings may constantly remind me about how easy I've had it, but there were definitely a lot of struggles being one of seven children, even if I was the youngest. So here are 17 things you'll probably relate to if you grew up with a lot of brothers and sisters.
1. Hand-me-downs. Lots and lots of hand-me-downs.
Did you just outgrow your winter coat? Don't worry, there are 5 more in the storage closet that your older siblings wore in the 90's. Neon never goes out of style.
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2. If your parents do buy you new clothes, you better believe they just bought one of your sibling's the same thing in a different color/size.
You were almost original.
3. Not knowing what leftovers are
Your best bet was to just scoop as much as you could onto your plate because that's what all your siblings were doing. Those were the original hunger games.
4. Sharing a bathroom
You had to call the shower ahead of time because if your sister uses it before you, all you can expect is a lot of cold water and a lot of hair on the shower wall. *gag noise*
5. Being crammed into a minivan
ESPECIALLY after one of your sibling's hockey, lacrosse or football games. And if you're the youngest, there's no way you're not sitting in the way back-- right next to their gym bags. With all of their sweaty equipment. Basically you're going to be holding your breath most of the way home.
6. Being subjected to never ending pranks
Did one of my brothers convince me to drink a cup of mouthwash? Yes. Did I stick a huge wad of gum in his hair later that day? Yes. Do I regret making him cry because he had to get a buzzcut as a result of that? No. Absolutely not.
7. Remembering birthdays
"I know Jimmy's is in December because it's right after Christmas, and Claire's is September 29th and Emily's is September 4th... Or is Claire's the 4th and Emily's the 29th..."
8. Christmas shopping basically takes the entire month of December.
"Did anyone get Joey that game he wanted? How about Alex? What does he want? Socks? Again? No, we're not getting him socks for the 5th Christmas in a row." "What do you mean you got Frances a new laptop?! I just got Frances a new laptop..."
We've tried doing Secret Santa before. It was still a mess.
9. People at school call you by your last name
Sure, you can introduce yourself by using your first name, but whoever you're talking to is just going to say, "Oh, you're a [last name]? I didn't know there was another [last name]!"
I just learned to introduce myself in high school by saying "I'm a Powers." Who needs individuality anyway?
10. If you want your snack to be in the fridge when you get home, you have to hide it.
You can't just leave that Klondike bar sitting on the first shelf of the freezer, just begging to be eaten by whichever one of your greedy siblings happens to see it first. If you plan on saving that delicious dessert for yourself, you're going to have to hide it on the very bottom shelf behind the forgotten bag of frozen peas. Just make sure you don't forget about it.
11. Almost never agreeing on what show to watch
American Idol's on at 8:00, but so is the football game... AND the new episode of One Tree Hill. That was when World War III happened right in your own living room.
12. Your friends pride themselves on being able to name all your siblings.
After people get excited by naming all of my siblings, I like to mess with them by telling them they forgot one and just watch them try and remember my non existent seventh sibling.
13. Hearing things like...
"Man your parents got BUSY."
"Are you Mormon?"
"Are you all related?"
14. Any food item labeled "family size" is a joke.
Those bags of chips with the silly "family size" labels will be devoured by two of your brothers within two hours of them being in your home. You're gonna have to buy three to last the week.
15. Finding your clothes in your sibling's laundry
It's inevitable that you're going to be switching your sibling's laundry from the washer to the dryer so that you can do a load, and then you'll see it. That pair of sweatpants you've been looking for for weeks has been in your greedy sibling's laundry the whole time. But once you confront your sibling, he/she will point out that you stole it from another sibling a long time ago. In which case, you'll probably relinquish the pair of sweatpants. Because that's the circle of life.
16. When your mom calls for you but she says at least 3 of your siblings' names before she gets to yours.
"Joey-- uh, uh, Jimmy! Uh, Claire-- Lily! Get down here for dinner!"
At some point, you know who she's trying to name, so you'll respond to your sibling's name to save time and trouble.
17. Knowing that you have more than enough people to depend on for a laugh, a shoulder to cry on, or a kidney transplant
Yes, they make life hectic, but hectic is the opposite of boring. And who wants a boring family? Boring people. That's who.
