This weekend, I went with my parents to a family event in Pennsylvania where I saw a lot of my extended family that I’d never met before. We have a big family, and with that big family comes situations that are different and unique to us. If you also have a big family, some of these pros and cons will seem familiar to you; if your family is small, you’re about to learn something new!
Pro: There are always people to talk to. Even if you don’t know their name or you just met them, you’re still able to talk to anyone related to you. We have a lot of conversations that go like this: “So how are we related?” “Oh, I’m married to the son of your mother’s cousin.”
Con: You don’t get to say hi to everybody. This weekend, I only got to really have longer conversations with my immediate family, and even during those times I felt like I was battling for their attention. Sometimes, you get through an entire family event without speaking to some of your closest cousins.
Pro: You have family in every state. If my car ever broke down on the highway, any highway, I’d always have a relative living somewhere nearby who could come get me or let me stay at their place.
Con: When you travel anywhere near a relative, they’re going to ask if you can come visit them, even if that’s not why you are visiting the area. Sometimes, you just want to have a vacation with friends, and not spend a lot of time with family, but often, when you’re visiting near a close family member, you feel obligated to visit.
Pro: At events, there are always people your age to talk to. I was worried about going to this family event this previous weekend because my siblings wouldn’t be with me and I thought I may not have anyone to talk to, but it turned out that there were distant relatives and second cousins who were close to my age and going through the same life points as I am.
Con: You’re obligated to talk to other people your age even if you don’t like them, because your parents/grandparents expect you to. Oh, you don’t like Cousin Sarah because she talks too much about her boyfriend and won’t let you get a word in edgewise? Too bad, because your parents make sure you’re sitting next to her and expect you to make conversation because you’re the same age.
While there are pros and cons to all different types and sizes of families, I am definitely grateful for the large family I have and I wouldn’t trade it for anything! Get-togethers can be a hassle, we have a family reunion coming up that will likely be stressful AND really fun, but in the end, I’m happy I have so many family members that I get to visit a lot.
