14 Big Families Full of Chaos, Bathroom Schedules, and Warmth That’s Always Enough for Everyone

• I went school shopping with the kids. We were out all day and spent almost $900 on the three of them. My husband called: “Why are you throwing money around like that?” I explained that there really wasn’t any other way, and he hung up.
  We got home, and then my husband came running out and shouted, “Who’s going to show me their new stuff first?” The kids raced to show him everything.
  He brought some treats, and my favorite dessert for me, then said with a guilty look, “Buy yourself something too, okay?” All right then, I forgive him.

• I come from a well-off family, an only child who never lacked for anything.
  Once, I went to summer camp, and there were kids from a large family there. Their mom brought a whole mountain of homemade pies for everyone. I tried one — it was so delicious! No one at home ever made anything like that, everyone was always busy.
  And those kids were hugging their mom, talking over each other, laughing. I sat there with my pie and thought I’d give away all my toys and outfits just to have a grandma come visit me with pies like that.

• The kids were down for their nap, and I accidentally fell asleep on the couch too. When I woke up 3 hours later, someone had covered me with a blanket. My kids’ favorite toys were lying next to me, along with our pretty night-light, the one they always sleep with.
  I tiptoed into their room: everything was where it belonged, not a thing out of place. My oldest had taken my phone, put on some cartoons, and was watching them with the little ones. That’s when I realized things were going to get a lot easier from here on out.

• I didn’t want to move out of my parents’ place, and if it hadn’t been for my husband, I probably never would have. But we still live close to my parents — just one house away from each other.
  We write poetry together. We choose a theme and each write a poem about it. We paint together, go hiking together, and celebrate holidays together.
  My mom and I go shopping. We have breakfast and dinner at each other’s homes, and my mom, my sister, and I wear each other’s clothes. My dad and my husband go fishing together.
  I love my life, and I’m incredibly grateful to my parents. They instilled in me a love of books and art. They taught me to value family and friends and to stand up for my beliefs.
  Thanks to them, I love hiking and nature. Thanks to them, I’m not afraid to be myself and don’t feel embarrassed about my interests, wondering whether they’re cool enough. They gave my younger siblings and me an amazing childhood!

• I have 4 kids. In the morning, I got everyone up, fed them, dropped them off at daycare and school, and then took one of the kids to the clinic.
  We walk into the office. The doctor looks at the chart, then at my son, his eyebrows keep climbing higher and higher, and finally he asks, “Are you sure he’s 6?” I’m like, “Well, yes.” Then I realize I brought my youngest son to the doctor — the one who’s 4!

• We have a big family. Everyone lives separately, while Grandma lives in a large house with Uncle, Aunt, and their 6 kids.
  For years, we got into the habit of bringing her everything we felt bad throwing away, just in case it might come in handy. 4 families kept bringing stuff over, year after year.
  Then Aunt finally had enough and wrote in the family chat: “Dear family, enough! The summer kitchen is full, the shed is full. We don’t have anymore room to keep anything else.” A little later, Grandma added: “But if anyone has extra dollars, I’ll gladly keep those.”

• There were 7 of us kids in the family. We had a chart hanging at home: who cleaned, who watered the plants, who helped in the kitchen. We walked to school together, waited for one another, and the older kids helped the younger ones with homework — though, of course, they sometimes tried to boss them around.
  Our holidays are still so lively that, at some point, Dad says his signature line, “I’m going to the garage,” and disappears for a while to wait out the festivities. But there’s one wonderful thing about a big family: when someone has something to celebrate, everyone celebrates. And when someone is having a tough time, there’s always someone nearby.

• The whole family got together for Grandma’s milestone birthday. So many people came that we simply couldn’t all fit at one table.
  The kids were served separately in the backyard. We were sitting there, eating barbecue, when we noticed there was suspiciously little meat left on the table, even though we’d barely started.
  A couple of minutes later, we heard a commotion outside. We went to take a look and found the kids’ table absolutely piled high with grilled meat, with several cats circling it, trying to snag a bite.
  It turned out that the kids had initially been served perfectly normal portions on their plates. But then Grandma started worrying: “Oh, they must be hungry out there,” and brought them more. Then the aunts also decided the little ones hadn’t gotten enough, and each of them took another serving outside.
  In the end, there wasn’t much meat left for the adults, but the kids and cats had a real feast.

• I have 3 siblings. I am the youngest and female, the oldest is my sister, and I have 2 brothers in the middle.
  One year when I was around 8 or 9, my parents went on an overnight trip. They sent my brothers to my paternal grandparents’ house and my maternal grandparents who lived upstairs from us (in a 2 family house) were keeping an eye on me and my sister.
  My sister is 7 years older than me so she was about 16 at the time and she got permission to invite her boyfriend over for a spaghetti dinner that I helped her make. After dinner and dessert, we put on the soundtrack to Saturday Night Fever and danced all over the house.
  I still remember that as one of the most fun times of my life. I was always a pretty shy kid so my sister’s friends never minded me being around, and her boyfriend (who I thought was so cute) danced with me. My sister has been my best friend my whole life.

• There were 8 of us — 6 girls and 2 boys. I am the first boy, second oldest overall. We are all close. It was great fun growing up.
  We have a campout reunion every summer and a big Christmas party. Plus the weddings (3 this year). Between us 8 kids we have 47 children.
  The grandkid-cousins are real tight also. My 3 sons each have a cohort of cousins they love like brothers. I have 5 nieces, all college age, living together in a house near the local university.
  A bunch of us went on a Viking river cruise last year. We kinda took over the boat. I hope we weren’t too obnoxious.

• We have a big family, and recently I realized that the kids can easily spend an entire day without my involvement. They have their own jokes, stories, and games.
  The older ones help the younger ones, keep each other entertained, and maintain some sense of order. One of the kids loves cooking and pretending the kitchen is his restaurant. I even made a separate playlist for that “restaurant.”
  Sometimes I look at all of this and think: we’re no longer just a family — we’re a mini state.

• When our oldest sister was 16, she was invited out on her first date. There were 4 of us younger siblings, and we all helped get her ready.
  One sister lent her hair clips, I brought Mom’s perfume, our brother polished her shoes, and our 5-year-old little brother proudly presented her with 3 pieces of candy.
  Right before she left, our sister looked in the mirror and discovered that someone had pinned a paper heart to the back of her sweater. With a shriek, she tore it off and left. The date went wonderfully!

• I have 4 brothers, and we have the best memories. I was never alone, always had someone there no matter what. And being the only girl I never had to share a room so that was a plus.
  We all live within minutes of each other now and share the same friend group. I recently gave birth to my first boy, and 3 months later my brother and his wife had a son. We are waiting on a niece in a few months from my other brother, so now our kids will get to grow up together.

• There are 5 of us siblings. When we were kids, the biggest morning challenge was getting into the bathroom. One day, our oldest sister posted a schedule on the door: 5 minutes for each person. We’d wait outside the door for one another and yell, “You have 40 seconds left!”
  Then we found out that our youngest brother had been getting up half an hour before everyone else for several days, washing up in peace, and going back to bed. He was 8. He’s still the most organized person in our family.

Large families run on a logic of their own — louder, messier, and considerably warmer than anyone planned. If yours does too, the comments are the right place for it.

Read next: 15 Old Family Photos That Prove Every Family Has at Least One Story That Gets Better With Every Telling