You’re at the movies, the previews are just wrapping up and the movie is beginning. It’s about to be a great show until the theater doors open up and a herd of six kids and two adults comes trampling in at the very last second. Among the chatter of this clan, you hear a crying toddler and an 8-year-old begging for popcorn. Your movie is essentially ruined, and the question “What would possess a person to have so many kids?” runs through your mind.

I’ll start off by apologizing, because what I just described was a normal childhood outing for my family. Along with movies, my five siblings and I have destroyed church services, picnics, plays and musicals, and any other kind of social gathering you can think of. While from the outside a big family may seem loud and obnoxious, I firmly believe that nothing is better than having a big family.

One of the best things about having five siblings is that I always had somebody to play with growing up. Even the brother who is eight years older than me has given in and joined in on the fun (regardless of how annoyed he may have actually been). Hide-and-seek, capture the flag, and other games were always insane when all six of us played.

At school, having a lot of siblings was great because teachers couldn’t assume that’d I’d act just like my older sibling. There were so many of us, I imagine the thought process was more like, “Alright, is this one naughty like their sister or good like their brother.” The confusion my older siblings caused teachers led them to not be able to treat me like I was naughty like one sibling (even if I ended up misbehaving anyway).

Another perk of having a huge family is that always having to share a room has made me a great roommate. I learned the consequences of touching other people’s things and how to respect personal space at a young age. I may have hated getting beat up by my sisters and brothers when I touched their stuff, but it has made me a better person in the long run.

My favorite thing about my big family is that my oldest siblings became my babysitters since I am the youngest. This meant that whenever Mom and Dad went out for date night, the rules ceased to exist. The only real rule was to not kill each other. We could sneak junk food from the “hidden” treat stash, watch scary movies, and stay up way too late because we were all breaking the rules together. If one of us were to tattle on the other, then we’d all be in trouble. It was amazing.

One last thing that I love about my big family is that I will always have a support system. No matter what happens to me, I know that my brothers and sisters will stand behind me and help me out. My older siblings give me advice and help me to grow as a person, and I pass that on to our little brother. If one of us is in the wrong, we keep each other in check. Having this safety net to turn to when I need it is the luckiest thing for any person to have, and I’m so grateful every day for it.

While the embarrassment of making a spectacle of ourselves every time we went out in public was mildly scarring, I wouldn’t trade my big family for anything in the world. The fights, hand-me-downs, and everything else that comes with having a big family is worth it for all of the bonuses I’ve experienced.