My Family.

We're huge.


As in, there is a lot of us.



See?

There are many good things about being born into a large family.

You always have someone to talk to.
Family gatherings are crazy. And fun.
There's lots of help for babysitting,
building and cleaning chimneys,
and such.


It basically means your support system is huge.
Always somebody ready to help.




It's also hard.

There is a lot of responsibilty,
especially if you are one of the older ones.




Because Mom was sick through her pregnancies,
and nearly died with two of them,
the children had to step up.

I could bake cookies at 6.

I was changing diapers at 8.

I could run the house by 12.




But you know what?
I got a crazy amount of babysitting jobs,
and a full time job as a nanny when I was 17.




It also gave me the skills to run my own house.

Having my first baby was not scary.

I pretty much knew what to expect.







Being in a large family is also hard for those who crave attention.


Why?

'Cause there was 12 kids and only two parents.

The logistics of the thing just doesn't work out.





And here's the thing.

Our Mother is one of the best.

She gave (gives) everything she had (has) to her children.

Her life's work is us.


Not a "career."

Us.

And motherhood can be a pretty thankless job, sometimes.







Here's the way I look at it.


God chose for me to be born into the family I was.




Crazy as they are.





And because I know that He wants what is best for me,
I know that this is what's best.



I learned a lot of hard lessons.


I learned responsibility,
and that I am not the center of the universe.

A valuable lesson.






Did I resent all the responsibility and work sometimes?


Of course.




But which one of my siblings would I send back?

None.




I love them all.





Basically it comes down to this.





Despite how hard it is,
I wouldn't trade my family for any other.

Remember, everybody's family is crazy.