Family reunions, family gatherings or hell. No matter what you call them, we've all taken the time to spend quality time with our relatives. With that quality time comes the many different types of personalities each family member brings along for the ride. Let's begin with the one I can relate to the most.
The one who doesn't want to be there.
This person doesn't necessarily despise their family, just the thought of being trapped with them for several days. They'd rather keep to themselves and only interact when absolutely necessary. This person may have also been bribed by a family member that was eager for them to attend.
Next, would be the drama king or queen. Although at a family function, this person finds some way to make it about themselves. When someone makes a really great dish, they refer to the time that they made one better. When one of the small children falls and hurts themselves, this person reminisces about how many times they have broken a bone. When someone complains of being tired, the drama king or queen tells the many tales of how far they had to walk to school and about how many people they had to cook for when they made their journey back home. No matter the topic of the conversations, this person manages to move the spotlight in their direction.
To dim the limelight a bit, the loud family member knows how to make an entrance. You can hear them coming several yards away. As soon as they arrive, everyone was either "this big" the last time they were seen or hasn't been seen in a long time. Their laughter when told a joke reaches intense decibels and their boisterous opinions about various topics are said for all to hear.
Fortunately, our eardrums are given a rest when the leader claims their throne. This person more than likely planned the event along with the costs and happenings of the venue. This person feels the need to organize every detail of every event with the cooperation of everyone involved. Any declination would certainly give birth to an issue because this person's satisfaction for being in control is being challenged.
Among the people that are included is the older, married couple that plants their rear ends in a chair to take in the sight before them. These two people were probably ecstatic at the idea of having the family together. They may not hear or understand everything that is occurring, but to them it doesn't matter as long as they are surrounded by their family.
Unfortunately, not every member is in attendance. Within a family, the feeling of love for all its members is commonly mutual. However, that doesn't stop the cliques from forming. The young migrate towards the young, the old migrate towards the old and the space cadets migrate toward each other. This group goes "out to lunch" quite often to puff, cough and mask any lingering scents.
To fill up the blank space caused by their absence is the sensitive. This person is game for any and everything. That is, until something is said that they take the wrong way. Once this happens, it is hard to get a complete sentence out of this person. All enthusiasm is lost and the desire to return home follows soon after.
With the several personalities of family members all coming together, the levels of chaos go rampant. But then again, what family doesn't include some dysfunctional individuals? Although a bit of a headache, these people add a bit of flare to the family, causing you to love them anyway. So which headache are you?
