Growing Up in a Large Family

Growing Up in a Large Family

Roommate: "Hey wouldn't it be fun to go to New York for the weekend?"

Me: "Yeah! We could stay with one of my sisters in Brooklyn."

"I thought you said your sister lived in Texas."

"That's a different one."

"Wait, how many sisters do you have?"

"Six."

"WHAT? Any brothers?"

"Three."

"Are you serious?"

This is the typical response I get when I reveal to someone that there are ten kids in my family. When the shock subsides I am always bombarded with the same questions. "The same two parents? How big is your house? How many bedrooms are there? Are there any twins?" and more importantly, "How many bathrooms does your house have?" My personal favorite is, "Can you say all your siblings' names really fast?" Just so you aren't left wondering: yes, not really, 5, no, 3, and CoraAbramJesseMiraIsaacAdaLeahZoëJacobMarita. Finally, everyone wants to know what it is like growing up with a large family.

First of all, growing up in a big family means I was never alone. I cannot remember spending any significant amount of time home alone. I am so accustomed to being around other people that when no one else is around I don't know what to do with myself. My senior year of high school I used to get out of school early a couple of days a week. I remember how awkward it felt during that precious thirty minutes to myself. My house was uncomfortably quiet, and I usually had to put some music on so I wouldn't notice. The first couple of times I drove a car alone I had the same feeling. Now driving around alone is one of my favorite things to do. Before I could drive I never knew how relaxing a couple of minutes to myself could be.

Learning to share is a necessary skill if you are a par...

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...ant to have a large family when I grow up. Usually I respond, "Do I look insane to you?" I love kids and had a lot of fun growing up in a large family, but I wouldn't want to go through it all again. It is too easy to get lost in the crowd with so many people around. If I have a family of my own I want them to be closer than mine was. I want to be able to spend more time with my children individually and get to know them better. I would also never want to have an only child either. I don't think it is good for a child to receive as much attention as most only children do. I also feel like having an only child just would not be as much fun. I think most of America has already got it right with a medium sized family of two or three kids. I treasure my experiences from growing up in a super-sized family, but now I am eager to experience the normal-sized family life.