I have one older brother. I know in no way does that constitute having a big family, but while I have a single sibling, my parents combined have more brothers and sisters than I can count with my two hands, which means my big family very much extends to my aunts and uncles and a small army of my cousins.

And while many people aren’t close to their extended family, I was fortunate enough to grow up with my cousins from diapers to puberty, through those godforsaken awkward stages and now, to college; my family was there throughout every grand milestone and every trivial moment thus far.

And so just like those kids that have an alarming amount of siblings, I too learned a few things that come with having a big family:

It’s all about compromise. 

With a great number of people comes an array of opinions, all trying to be heard at once. Some people disagree and others get offended and sometimes things get messy and we forget we’re family. But then we realize in order to untangle things, we must compromise. Give a little, get a little, or else no one in this family would ever be happy.

There’s always a kids table.

It’s an unspoken rule that you belong at the kids' table until you have kids of your own. After that you’re officially an adult and you’re banned from sitting with us ever again. Your kids can stay, though.

As a family, you're never on time to anything. 

It’s already hard enough to get yourself ready in time, but when you have to wait on a number of other people as well, it becomes next to impossible to be on time. (This also teaches you patience.)

 A perfect family picture will never exist.

No matter how many takes of the same picture you get, there will always be someone blinking, someone sneezing or someone hidden in the back, out of sight.

Restaurant reservations become somewhat of a necessity.

Traveling in a party of double digits means you’re never guaranteed a table to sit every family member. By now you know that every family outing requires a call in advance — more so for the seating arrangements but also to warn the restaurant staff of the herd about to walk through their door.

You get unconditional love and support.

Often overlooked or under appreciated, the love you receive from your family is unlike anything you’ll ever have. And if you’re fortunate enough to have a big family, you’re lucky, because your biggest supporters come in the form of annoying siblings, witty cousins and overbearing aunts.