What it is like growing up in a large family

Ruby Rose

Ruby Rose

Location: Canadian Prairies
Growing up in a large family for me with many brothers, leaves one with admirable traits or habits or ways. I was fearless then and now, and showed my claws at times not afraid to stick up for myself. I could run real fast and today I speed walk; I could hop a fence, jump from a roof, climb a tree to check out my brothers' fort (but couldn't get back down, haha), so my Dad was called to get me down. Oh, the shame of it! I knew how to fall, but not from a tree. I've always been fast in everything and still am, and am always being told to slow down*.

* In fact, just this past week, my son-in-law, who is rather tall, told me not to lift something (I've been lifting all my life...many moves later), so I stood in front of him with hands on my hips and said, "You aren't the boss of me!" leaving him laughing his head off, and leaving me with a crick in my flipping neck from looking up.

My brothers were also big protectors of me, checking out my dates and were always ready to pick me up if I needed a ride. My brothers taught me many things, but the best thing of all is to stand up for myself and have a voice.

We even had enough people in our family to play a family baseball game or hockey game (we always had a rink in the yard in the winter).

I would love to hear other peoples' views of growing up in a large family.
 

Pretty much the same as yours Ruby Rose.. .. lots of brothers & sisters,including steps... and your description of yourself is exactly how I'd describe myself..

My mother was one of 9 and my father one of 16.... so lots of cousins too
 

There were 10 kids in my family. The two youngest are deceased, the remainder still living. I don't have anything particularly eloquent to say about growing up in a large family. It just was, that's all.

Tony
 
tbeltrans said:
There were 10 kids in my family. The two youngest are deceased, the remainder still living. I don't have anything particularly eloquent to say about growing up in a large family. It just was, that's all.

Tony
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I feel like a regular Little Orphan Annie as pretty well all of my siblings have passed away and rather fast. There is so much that I miss and especially at Christmas time! At least you still have siblings.
 
Ruby Rose said:
I feel like a regular Little Orphan Annie as pretty well all of my siblings have passed away and rather fast. There is so much that I miss and especially at Christmas time! At least you still have siblings.
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Our family was never close, so those family events just have not happened nor has any sort of particular bonding as adults. The family I grew up in was very dysfunctional and we pretty much just scattered to the four winds. There is no particular sadness in that because I can't miss what I didn't have.

Tony
 
Lewkat said:
I didn't grow up in a large family, but I grew up on the streets of New York. Makes one wise before one's years.
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I was born in NYC, but we moved to California when I was in first or second grade. I have some memories of the subway and such, but nothing like what one would have living there all along. I have had to go back there on a number of occasions for business as an adult.

Tony
 
My parents only had 3 children, so it wasn't a large family. On the other hand, my Dad had 6 sisters and 1 brother. My Mom had 5 brothers and 5 sisters so she came from a family with 11 children. Some of her brothers were very busy that honestly, I have over 80 cousins from just my Mom's side of the family.
 
I grew up in a large family, not overly large, but there were 5 of kids, so large enough.

What made our family large, was all of the baby cousins and family we had.

I was the oldest, and I attribute maturing overly early and quickly, as a result of being thrust into a motherhood role at such an early age, helping with the care of my baby siblings.

When I look back on it now, I missed the doll stage entirely... and my childhood seemed to go by in a flash, and there I was in my teens, a grown woman already, tall, developed, and head and shoulders above my counterparts in the maturity department.

All was not lost though, because my little sibs did make for fun and interesting times and made our home feel like a home, and being old enough to remember so much of their early years, I'm glad to have had the upbringing I had in regards to having a hand in the raising of them.

I did a ton of babysitting for my mom and dad... family, too (cousins were babies), so I got to see many firsts... first time up on two feet, first day of school, that sort of thing, and as big sister, it was me that often took my baby siblings out for walks, trips to the park, the store, and everywhere in-between.

I remember it so well... I'd have one plopped down in the stroller or sprawled-out in the baby carriage, with two more toddling beside me. One of my best friends (Grace), who came from an Italian family, had a baby sister at the same time my youngest sibling was a baby, and we used to spend hours at the park sitting in the shade under a big tree, our little siblings camped-out on a large blanket, and us just happy to be in one another's company.

Some days it seems like yesterday to me, while some days it seems like two lifetimes ago. I find myself suffering from mild melancholy at times, because life has gone by too fast for my liking, but what memories I have, and I have to say, I enjoyed the warm feeling of being a big sister to my siblings, because it always made me feel so special. They really looked up to me in so many ways... and of course being the oldest I used to spoil them something awful.

Great memories, thanks for starting this topic, Ruby.
 
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