I come from a large, loud, and hilarious Irish family and I can’t imagine what my life would be like without them. Here is what I have learned from my large family, and this is dedicated to the kids from big families like mine.
1. You can’t be quiet. Only the loud ones survive. I learned that at an early age. When you gather a bunch of people together then you are bound to have some noise. If you want to talk to your grandma across the table while your uncles are debating sports then you need to be loud.
2. You don’t need an excuse to get together–it just sort of happens. There have been many Friday nights where I come home from school and my uncle, cousins, and our neighbors are over eating pizza and talking. You just walk in and there is a crowd of people watching TV and laughing. It is one of the best feelings in the world.
3. Playing games is interesting, to say the least. It requires a lot patience. You have to get everyone to sit down, listen, and follow by the rules. We talk a lot so having them actually follow the rules and play the game becomes a little bit of a challenge. However, it makes for hilarious moments and great stories. The times when my family does their own thing during family game night is what makes the night so fun and very memorable.
4. Someone will always be there for you. Whether you are two miles away or two hundred, there is always a family member that will drop everything and come to your rescue. They have your back and always will.
5.You can’t have a small get-together. Whether it’s a wedding, funeral, baptism, confirmation, or birthday party, it’s going to be big and there will be a lot of food and great people. It’s the perks of being in a large family that I learned early.
6.Trying to get a picture of everyone turns into fifteen minutes of herding sheep.
It is a process that, oddly enough, consists of a lot of questions. “Why do we have to take a picture now?” “Can we wait a few minutes? I just ate.” (What does eating have to do with taking a picture?) “Is everyone ready? I don’t want to be waiting around for anyone.” It’s hilarious and very fun.
7. We should really be our own reality TV show. Why do we watch the Kardashians when my family is more entertaining? I guarantee you that the time at my cousin’s baptism party when my dad pulled out the chair during musical chairs and my other cousin fell flat on her butt would have gotten more views than Kim Kardashian driving to a restaurant. Or the time when we found glass in our pizza and the pizza place didn’t do anything about it. This is the stuff that people should be watching, not those trashy people.
8. Being in group texts can get crazy, and fast. All group chats can get annoying but the ones with the family can get crazy quickly. Fortunately, it's always a good type of crazy.
.
9. You have good times, bad times, and some OK times. It’s the ebb and flow of being part of a big family. Sometimes you don’t always get along with each other, but all it takes is for one crazy aunt, cousin, or sibling to say something profound to remind everyone that the only thing that matters in life is family
10. My large family never fails to make my day. Whether it is a text message, a letter, or a funny post on Facebook, someone in your family always manages to make your day and remind you of how lucky you are to be part of such a unique, large, and crazy family.
Thank you to my amazing large family! I love all of you!
