Growing up, I knew nothing other than having a big family. I’m the oldest of six children, ranging from twenty years old all the way down to six years old. I wouldn’t trade my family for anything, and over the past few years, I’ve realized some things that make growing up in a big family unique. If you've grown up in a big family, and by big family I mean more than four children, you can probably relate a few if not all of these things.

1. Silence (or quiet, for that matter) is nonexistent.

2. Schedules are insane and everyone is constantly going in a million different directions.

3. Your siblings always have your back.

4. Matching Christmas pajamas are a must—mom always needs a picture.

5. When your mom buys your favorite food, eat quick—it won’t last long.

6. You drive your parents insane, but they still love you.

7. If you’re not the first child, hand-me-down’s are your life.

8. If all of your friends are busy, you have built-in friends as backups.

9. Family vacation—what’s an airplane? (there’s too many of us, car it is)

10. Your parents seem to list off everyone else’s name before they finally figure out what yours is.

11. You’ve probably never had your own room.

12. You can make fun out of just about anything.

13. When going out in public, your family is an entire “mob” on its own.

14. When everyone’s in the same place at the same time, it’s a big deal.

15. You share everything, and I mean everything.

16. You learn to adapt to any type of situation.

17. You can talk to just about anyone about anything, because you've been learning people skills since you were born.

18. Nothing's surprising because life is a whirlwind.

19. Secrets are absolutely unbreakable.

20. You value your family more than anything else.

Most importantly... You wouldn't want to live life any other way.

You may not always appreciate your big family, but if I know one thing, it's that I wouldn't be the same person I am today without the family I've been blessed with. Like I said, I wouldn't want to live life any other way because despite the craziness of being a part of a big family, life without them just wouldn't be the same.