No matter how far we go, the effects of our past may never be entirely escaped. In particular, the events and circumstances of our youth often take the greatest role in the shaping of our personalities. I’ve come to notice that one’s family arrangement, specifically that of siblings, allows for great effect upon one's personality traits. There is undeniably a severe contrast between an only child as opposed to one who grew up alongside many other personalities. Personally, experiencing the daily chaos that exists amongst a crowded household, I wholeheartedly believe that growing up around many other people is perhaps the most beneficial. The hectic, yet amusing lifestyle reaps a multitude of benefits.
As the middle of five children, I am fully aware of all aspects of life in a large family. Raised alongside four dogs, my siblings and I became adapted to chaos in every sense. There’s no denying our insanity and no ignoring the shock and amusement of the occasional visitors to our hectic household, and yet I couldn't imagine my life any other way. Although our extensive size has often meant less travel and a stricter budget for each individual sibling, the priceless lessons that I’ve learned maintain a much greater value. While my older sisters have given me wisdom and an early onset sense of maturity, my younger siblings always allow me to relive my childhood in such a way that never lets me fully grow up. I’ve learned to coexist and cooperate out of sheer necessity whilst living amongst four extremely different personality types. From ganging up on another sibling or revolting against our mom, I’ve developed a sense of teamwork and loyalty that have transferred into all of my other relationships. Despite the numerous arguments and moments of irritation, my siblings and I cannot argue against how much we genuinely enjoy having each other. Even when we swear up and down how much we hate each other, we realize how incredibly boring it would be without each other. What would vacations be like without fighting the whole way there? Or holidays without always having somebody to stick with? Or a typical weekday afternoon without anybody else home?
How inherently mundane it must be to live in such silence. Furthermore, how detrimental it must be toward one’s ability to cooperate with others. My patience and tolerance for others, I’ve observed, stems directly from learning to manage the demeanors of my siblings. The compassion that I’ve developed and maintained is quite possibly my most valued quality, and it’s truly all thanks to my life in my large, crazy family. Keeping my past in mind, I look forward to the future memories that lie ahead for me with both my own siblings, along with even further expansions to our zoo of a family.
