People have always wondered how I've survived having such a huge family. Doesn't it get annoying? Isn't it overwhelming? They can't imagine having that many people over for a casual Sunday dinner. They can't imagine seeing their family members on a regular basis when it isn't a big holiday. Hell, most of them don't even really want to.
Well, obviously it gets annoying — who doesn't NOT like their family every now and then? And sure, it's overwhelming, mostly because there are never quite enough seats for everyone to eat, so we usually have to eat in waves (unless it's Thanksgiving, and then we just cram around the table, put up with the occasional elbow to the side and have perfected crawling under the table to get to the bathroom). It's not easy having so many people around all of the time, but 96% of the time, I really don't mind.
My family is a saving grace, to be honest. Yeah, they can be annoying, but I wouldn't know what to do without them. If I didn't have at least four different people to call when I was having a mental breakdown, or have at least 12 people to text for a favor or a question that at least one person would be able to help me with or answer. If I didn't have a 30-person deep support system, I would have gone much crazier than I already am, but it would have happened a lot sooner.
I wouldn't know what to do without the countless cousins, aunts, and uncles that I have been so lucky to have. My mom and her sisters have made sure to surround us with as many relatives (both biological and adopted) as possible, and in times of need, I can't imagine what it would be like if they weren't there. Sure, we're all crazy and have the tendency to fight about things that really don't matter, but when it comes down to it, everybody has each others back. We've gone through a lot in life — deaths and countless funerals, screaming matches, soccer picnics, camping trips, vacations, weddings, babies, birthdays, holidays — and I know that no matter what, no matter how far away any of us may go, there's always going to be at least three houses where we'll have a place to stay when we come home.
Not many people get lucky enough to have a big family. And even fewer people are lucky enough to have a big family that is so close. And yeah, there are problems with it — trust me, I've experienced them all. But there's that saying, “Families are like brownies — sweet but with a few nuts.” Well, to say my family is nutty would be an understatement, but I also know I wouldn't change them if I could.
