The first question I usually get when I tell people that I have seven siblings is this: "Do you all have the same Mom and Dad?"
The answer is, yes. They met in 1983 and were married only six months after they met.
Now, 33 years later, they have eight children, a son-in-law, and two grandchildren. I don't think my parents ever expected that they would end up with eight kids. Growing up, my Mom always said that she wanted as many as God gave her. However, I don't think that being a family of ten was ever part of my parents' plan.
When I was in high school, all of my friends always wanted to come over to my house because it was the most entertaining. My house was never quiet; you never really knew what was going on, what someone was talking about, or who was there and who wasn't. When someone new came over, they immediately became a part of the family because there were so many of us, people just started to blend in.
We had family dinner together every night. That was extremely important to my parents. It gave them the chance to see all of us together. It gave them the chance to hear about our days and it gave us the opportunity to all hang out with each other. But, unless you could keep up with 20 different conversations all happening at the same time, it probably sounded a lot like a train station.
I get asked all the time what it's like to have so many siblings, but I've never really known how to answer that question because I don't know what it's like to not have my siblings. What I do know is that I have learned more from being a sister than I could from any teacher, professor, or even my parents. This is what being a sister has taught me:
When your sister gets her heart broken (older or younger), your heart will break too. You will sit there with her, holding her as she sobs. She'll feel like her world is being ripped apart, and you will feel like the biggest failure because you couldn't protect her.
You will have to hold back your own tears because you will feel like you've let her down. You're her sister, you're supposed to protect her, right? No. There are some things you will not be able to protect her from. You're supposed to love her, care for her, and be there for her. But, she needs to make mistakes.
Your little brother is going to be the best thing in the entire world. He's going to drive you absolutely crazy and you're going to hate him 99% of the time, but he will always be the most perfect thing that your parents ever did. He'll be smarter than you, more talented, more popular,but you won't care, because he's your best friend.
Your older brother is going to be trouble. For a long time, you're not going to be able to stand him. But one day, he's going to be the person you rely on most, the person you confide in, and one of the people you're most excited to see. He's going to make you laugh so hard you cry and he's going to save you from whatever you need saving from.
Most of all, being a sister has taught be to be ready for anything. It has taught me that most of the time, things are out of my control, and I just need to let life happen. It has taught me how to be a more patient and kind person. It has taught me to be brave, strong, and open-minded. But most importantly, it has taught me that love is the most important thing.
Being a sister isn't always easy, in fact, most of the time it isn't easy at all. But it has given me the best friends I could ever ask for. And it is, to this day, the best job I have ever had.
