It's always fascinating to me how interested people are in my family. One of the most common questions I get is "what is it like, growing up one of seven?" and I think they tend to forget that we weren't all born at once, so I didn't grow up with this many siblings, I slowly acquired them through the years. Like pokemon collecting, but cooler. I think my experiences are very different from our youngest, who will grow up with all of us. So, really, if you want a good answer on that one, then I recommend asking Jake (when he's old enough to form real sentences). But here are a few of the questions and remarks I can answer, an FAQ if you will.
1. "Happy Mother's Day!"
Since I refer to my sibs as simply "the kids," I suppose I'm really the only one to blame sometimes. But honestly, Sarah and I are only nine years apart, so why her friends have mistaken me for her mom since high school is beyond me. Maybe I'm not aging well.
2. "You don't know your sister's birthday?"
Look. They're lucky I know their names half the time, okay? And let's give me some credit, I know most of their birthdays. Sometimes.
3. *laced with sarcasm*"Holidays must be so fun!"
Well, they do have this habit of getting up at the crack of dawn for Christmas and Easter, which is a bit much sometimes. But, as a matter of fact, they are a blast. I will go trick-or-treating for the rest of my life, somebody has to keep track of these kids. Plus, having the extended family over really only doubles the amount of kids in the house, so it's not as bad as you try to make it out to be.
4. "How do you guys go anywhere?"
A party bus.
Just kidding we have a large van which transports the noisy, writhing mob from one place to another. Believe it or not, we still go out to eat and to the zoo or the mall. Enough of us know not to get lost to be able to keep eyes on the ones who don't. Except Anna, she's the loudest ninja I have ever met.
5. "Don't you guys, like, fight all the time?"
Everyone fights with their siblings, whether you have one or twenty-one. It happens no more than anybody else. I think it's helped us be able to be able mediate and see things from someone else's perspective, since there are so many perspectives to take into account.
We get along for the most part though. And the only one who's allowed to beat on one of my siblings is one of my other siblings, lest they want a small gang after them.
5. "How much is your grocery bill?"
A better question would be, "how long is your grocery bill?" All I know is the receipt is usually longer than my 6' father is tall. We fill two carts at the store like putting together a well orchestrated, yet still disorganized puzzle, but it never fits in less than three after checkout.
6. "Aren't your parents through having kids?"
Well, sometimes they say they're done, but I've yet to see that ring true... There will always room for one more in our hearts!
