The Norm

In a big family, we do a lot of things that other families might not consider "normal". But hey, I'm sure every family has things that they do that others may not. I guess it's like to each their own.

You have the kids that get really excited for the summer because they go on vacations. Their family has rented some big beach house or they are taking a road trip. In my family, we don't really go on vacations. We have never rented a beach house. We have never traveled as a whole family to another state. I honestly can't remember the last time my family has taken a long vacation. Yes, I have gone places but that has been with friends or school. After thinking about it, I really don't have a problem with it. Growing up in a large family, I do a ton of other things with them. I feel like those things I do make up for the vacations. The fact that in a big family, you can't get everything that you want.

Another thing that we consider "normal" is going to the grocery store every couple of weeks. Some families make trips every once and awhile. With mine we go and sometimes fill almost two carts full of stuff. When my dad comes back home we create an assemble line that goes from the car to the kitchen. It definitely makes the process a lot faster.

My family doesn't eat dinner together. The only time we really eat together is during Thanksgiving and Christmas. Everybody is always on different schedules that we just can't find the time. I don't find this weird either. Actually I find it more enjoyable to sit with like one sibling and eat with them rather than the others. When my family gets together there is usually always bickering and fighting. Everything could be going great and you stare at one of them wrong. The rest of the dinner goes downhill from there.

Like I said earlier in my posts, my family added two bathrooms to my house. This has helped somewhat but we still fight over them. We will all be in the car coming back from like a game or something and out of nowhere someone will yell, "I call bathroom first". Then another will yell, "I call the second bathroom". I hope you don't have to go really bad because if you don't call a bathroom, you will be waiting. Another is the shower. We all call for those too. If you're last to get to it then you will be showering with cold water because all the hot water will have been used up. I find it completely normal to fight over the bathroom and shower. I haven't really heard any of my other friends say they do this.

Everybody always asks me how I survive in a big family. It's normal to me, I don't think twice about having so many siblings anymore. They are the people that made me who I am today. Everyday brings new experiences in my family, some great and some not. I wouldn't change it  for the world though.