Growing up in a household of seven people teaches you a lot, mostly how to deal with other people for extended periods of time. But there are certain things that all people in large families come to discover as true as well.
1. Sharing a bedroom.
Oh the clashing of tastes and differing opinions in one room.
2. The house is always loud.
Those couple minutes of peace and quiet you get before everyone else gets home are weird and make you become convinced your house is haunted. Having silence in the house is strange, and not something you are used to at all. You don't even mean to be loud most of the time, but with a bunch of people in one area, noise accumulates.
3. Trying to take a family picture is difficult.
Although doable, making sure that no one blinked, everyone looks okay and that no one is cut off can be a difficult process. You ever try taking a selfie with seven people, the Oscars was very unrealistic.
4. You're used to being called six names before your own.
My mother and grandmother are both guilty of this one. I'm usually Valerie-Emily-Joanne-Annie-Lindsey-Angela to my grandma, but at least it's right at some point. I'm also pretty sure my mom has called me by the dog's name, too.
5. The making of a birthday list.
I was designated responsible for making the family's birthday list and getting everyone's names and birthdays down for everyone to write down so no one is forgotten.
6. Having your clothes stolen all the time.
Yelling at my sister for taking my sweater is part of weekly routine. Only for the tables to turn the following week when I need to borrow her sweatshirt. Guilty as charged.
7. Learning to write your name on food and putting "Do Not Eat" signs on things.
Having that last piece of chocolate cake or the last cannoli stolen from the fridge is the worst. I even occasionally mark my lunches for work so they remain untouched. Sounds silly, but when you live with other people and want your food, you'll do the same.
8. You've watched gallons of ice cream disappear before your eyes.
Seeing a bunch of ice cream is very exciting, watching it disappear at the blink of an eye not so much. It's crazy how fast it goes once it's opened.
9. Having to wake up extra early when going out because of the fight for the bathroom.
If you want to use the bathroom in the morning to shower or brush your teeth, you need to give yourself plenty of extra time to get in there.
10. You've been locked out of the house before, because you just count on someone else having keys.
I've sat outside my house for hours because I forgot my keys, luckily the next batch of siblings would seem to have theirs to let me in.
11. So. Many. Dishes.
Washing dishes is like working in a restaurant. So many plates and cups and pots and pans every night, even if it was something as simple as soup. There always seems to be an disproportionate amount of cups to the number of people in the house too...
12. Holidays means multiple tables for kids and adults.
Being promoted to the adult table at Christmas and Thanksgiving seemed like a great achievement, that was until you realized that meant it was actually time for you to get your life together. Haha, college, life.
An accurate representation of me at the adult table is the little kid with the green thing in his mouth.
13. Doing head counts when you go out.
No, we never left a "Kevin" home alone by some miracle.
14. The "Are they all yours?" question.
I wish I had a dollar for every time my parents were asked if we were all their kids. Yes we are. And yes, I know your next line is going to be either God bless, Oh my goodness, or You guys really like each other. (Gross.)
Side note: My parents think they're funny and have started saying in public, "Who are these kids and why are they calling my Mom/Dad?"
15. The never ending laundry pile.
For you college kids, you know how fast your laundry builds up. Now multiple that by seven and you'll see how quickly laundry builds. If my mom doesn't do laundry every day we're left with a mountain of clothing.
Although there are a bunch of little things that make having a big family difficult at times, I wouldn't trade it for the world.
