Growing up I was always used to seeing my family once every couple years. However, these family reunions were not normal or calm family reunions; these family reunions were filled with competitions, drinks, laughs and so much love. My father has five siblings, most of them had kids which gave me a lot of cousins to play with. Anyone who comes from a huge family knows that once the family is able to decide on a date to get together that it will be a week long extravaganza, not a typical two or three day reunion. Here are five main benefits of growing up in a big family:

1. You are the loudest group everywhere you go

Anywhere your family goes, Starbucks, a nice restaurant or even to a gas station, your family is heard by their vibrant laughter, aunts and uncles arguing over which direction we should go in or what food we should eat. You will never be alone when you are with your extended family because you can hear them miles away. You will always be the rowdiest, loudest family in any bar you go to making your family the envy of the people surrounding you.

2. Weddings are now reasons to have a week long reunion

Weddings are not only a reason to celebrate the love between the bride and groom, but now it is an excuse to create a week long family reunion wherever the wedding may be held.. Whether the wedding takes place in the Caribbean, the East Coast, the West Coast or in Europe, the family will make this wedding a week long event. Weddings will forever be a reason to have a family reunion, so thank you cousins who will get married, the whole family truly thanks you!

3. You're always laughing

^^^ Laughter in a huge family should be a given. From being too competitive playing bouy bat, to making jokes at dinner, laughing will occur at all times when you are with your family. Laughter is the glue that connects each family member together more than their shared blood line can. Being able to laugh at yourself is what your family helps you accomplish.

4. You always have a friend no matter the age

The good things about having a large family is that you will always have a friend or a mentor at every step of the way throughout your life. Whether you are fifteen and trying to find yourself or thirty and needing a someone to help guide you, your cousins, uncles and aunts will be able to help you understand who you are and what you need to do to further your success.

5. Wherever you turn you near someone who loves you and what's to watch you thrive

Large extended families allows for everyone in the family to be loved. Each member of the family plays an important role in your growth. No matter how far the distance is between the family, you're family members are anxiously watching you grow into the successful and happy person that you will become.

So thank you to all the Camp Menninger's for uniting the family and allowing each one of us to grow more as people and as a family, without my large family and all that comes with it, I would not be the same. Love, laughter and friendly competition is what unites the Menningers and other large families out there in the world, and that's what makes being a part of a large family the best thing to ever have happened to me.