You Might Have A Large Family If…

I come from a large family. I have two sisters and three brothers, and there are seven total years between the oldest and the youngest. I grew up wanting to have a big family of my own when I got married. In fact, I wanted to have eight kids instead of six. Lofty aspirations, I know.

When I got married and started to have children of my own, it became apparent very early in the game that I was not going to make it to eight. Quite honestly, my oldest son was such a challenge that my four younger kids are lucky that I didn’t call it quits after one. It got a little crazy when our second son was born just 19 months later, followed by two more daughters and another son. At that point, we had quite a houseful, and I had no more longings for babies.

Having a large family is crazy and fun. There is always some level of chaos, no matter how hard I try to keep it at bay. I get a kick out of the comments and looks that we get in public sometimes, so I have put together a list that people from large families may be able to relate to.

In the spirit of Jeff Foxworthy’s “You Might Be A Redneck If…” sketch, here goes…

You Might Be From A Large Family If…

1. You have ever filled your dinner plate with seconds before your first helping is even halfway gone, just to make sure that you get some more.
2. You have ever had somebody offer to teach you about birth control, assuming that you have never heard of it before.
3. You have even been asked if “all those kids are yours.”
4. You have ever stood in the front of the line at a fast food restaurant for a good 10 minutes waiting for everybody to decide what they want…and then have half of them change their minds, while the people behind you in line shoot you dirty looks that you try to ignore.
5. You have ever stopped multiple times while driving to a destination an hour away because somebody had to go to the bathroom “REALLY BAD,” even though they did not have to go the last time you stopped 15 minutes prior.
6. You have ever celebrated the fact that you only spent $250 at Costco.
7. You have ever wondered why that box of 50 granola bars that you bought yesterday is already gone…and the wrappers are all over the pantry floor, but nobody seems to know how they got there.
8. You have ever cut the last cookie into five equal pieces just so that it is “fair.”
9. You have ever walked onto an airplane with your entire family and watched as people’s eyes got big and faces fell while they counted each one of you as you walked past.
10. You have ever brought an air mattress into a hotel room so that three kids do not have to share a double bed.
11. You have ever called your child by three names other than his own before finally saying the right one.
12. You have even had somebody ask you how old your children were, and you had to stop and think about it for a minute before answering.
13. You have a mountain of mismatched socks that is almost as tall as Mt. Everest…or at least it feels that way. (Does the washer eat socks?)
14.  You have ever been asked if you are babysitting when you have all of your kids with you in public.
15. You have given up on the idea of making sure that all of your children are wearing matching clothes and sporting clean faces when you go out in public. You now have more important things to worry about…like if they are wearing two shoes, whether or not they match.

I love having a large family and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. What fun things have you experienced with your houseful?