My Family… Eight Children!

As you may have read in my profile, I am the eldest child (hence the name) in a family of eight children. Our are teenager, (me, Lanna), 13-years-old (Justin, also a teen, but I get the title, LOL), 11-years-old (Rebekkah), 9- and-a-half (Miranda), 8-and-a-bit (Noa), 6-years-old (Jessica), 3-years-old (Aleesha) and 11-months (Kelli). 

Having a big family is great, but can be a bit difficult sometimes. My parents have a policy of only making one meal for dinner (unlike some of the other families that we know, that will make different dinners for each of the children depending on what they like), so each night, it is someone else’s turn to choose what the menu for dinner will be. It can be very hard when Justin, who has VERY weird taste in food, chooses the dinner menu (I don’t know of anyone who actually likes to eat fried veggie-bacon with california salad dressing and melted cheese for dinner with pancakes!)

When it comes to school lunches, we are all supposed to make are own (and one of us will usually make Leesha’s lunch, as well). But usually, Noa volunteers to make the lunches for the older kids as well, because she knows “how hard we work and wants to help us” (her words, not mine!).

Dinner time is always crazy in my house. Ever since I can remember, my parents have insisted that the WHOLE family should sit down and have dinner together. I love dinner time, even though it is chaotic (CONTROLLED chaos, LOL) because it is a time when our whole family can sit down and talk about our day. It’s always fun to hear about the younger kids escapades in nursery school! My brilliant younger brother also usually updates us on the status of whatever extra-curricular (not for school) project he is working on at the moment (usually a movie or a story).

Our family is very musical as well. I started to play the piano at the age of three-years-old and my siblings followed soon after. Currently, I am in Royal Conservatory Grade 8, Rebekkah is in Grade 5, Justin is also in Grade 5, Miranda is entering Grade 1 and Noa, Jessica and Aleesha are working with an alternate program, YAMAHA, the program which I first started off in at the age of three.

I love having a big family because there’s always someone to talk to. If I need clothing or makeup advice, I go to Rebekkah. If I need musical advice, I go to Miranda, who has almost-perfect hearing, in terms of determining the pitch of a note. Noa is our family athlete and clown, if any of us ever need cheering up, it is Noa that we go to. Jessi, Leesha and Kelli are so cute, and if I am having a bad day, a couple of minutes of playing with them will cheer me up. It is amazing to be part of a big family and I would never trade my siblings in for anything in the world. (To my siblings:) Guys, I love you so much and should tell you more how much fun it is to just be around you.

Peace Out

EDIT: I posted this because of my friend Greg, who is forever asking me about how it is to be a part of a big family.

~ by eldestchild on July 31, 2008.