Foundation For Large Families
The Pros and Cons Of Living In a Brady Bunch Family
By Dominique Daoust
December 5, 2004
This is one story from, Writing on the Wall, from the collected writing of students of L'Ecole Francois Buote in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.
As children grow up they need to be surrounded by people and take part in activities that promote learning and the development of morals. One of the most important things that contributes to this learning and development is family. Living in a large family with brothers and sisters can help bring more knowledge, support and encouragement, as well as principals and lessons, to the building of uniqueness and personality in a young person’s life.
I have been good friends with someone with a big family since I was a child. She has four older sisters as well as one older brother. Every time I walk into their house, a genuine feeling of warmth fills me, like sun on a cold day. I can feel the love and laughter that has been present in that house ever since the very first child was born. Having siblings fills a household with fun, friendship and the musical sound of laughter. Brothers and sisters are also the ones who form a protective shield around each other, and help each other get through numerous troubles in life, whether it be, for example, social problems or difficulties with schoolwork. Finally, all this to say that having siblings helps a child’s development and growth by simply being present and giving encouragement.
Although they can be exasperating, aggravating and destroyers of the perfect sereneness of silence, siblings are nonetheless always there for one another. My brother is and always has been the unbelievably loud and annoying one in our family, but as I realized after he had moved away to university, he is also the one who often brought laughter and a sense of togetherness to our lives and to our home. However, I am not trying to say that a family with many kids is better than a family with just one child. Being a single child can help build the ability to think and act independently. I have friends who are only children, and there is just as much love and laughter in those families as there are in others. But having other brothers and sisters can make life less lonely because they are people with whom to have conversations. Though friends can also make life more enjoyable, siblings are the ones who are concrete figures in a child’s life growing up, and they are there to talk to when no one else is. In fact, there are some things I would rather discuss with my sister than I would with my friends, such as the type of clothes I would buy or the kind of job I would apply for.
We all know that nobody is perfect, not even our parents, brothers or sisters. These parental figures and siblings can make mistakes just as they can have great achievements. Another way in which a large family can contribute to the development of a child is by the events, good and bad, which take place within the family. Children can learn and gain experience from things that happen to other people, yet when something happens to someone in their own family, to people close to them, it has a much more powerful influence. For example, my older sister was involved in a collision almost a year after she got her license to drive. Of course I had heard of other people getting involved in collisions, but after it happened to my own sister I realized it could very well happen to me, too, so I therefore learned to be more attentive and alert while driving. Having no siblings, children can learn from their parents or other relatives experiences, but it is much easier when they have a brother or sister to make mistakes or accomplish things before them.
Furthermore, there is quite a noticeable difference between the atmosphere of large families and the atmosphere of small families. More people means more noise and laughter while a smaller number of people suggests quietness and calmness. Both of these atmospheres are pleasant, but sometimes having the more chaotic and loud atmosphere is more enjoyable because it transmits happiness and cheerfulness. I love being amongst my mother and her five other siblings because the atmosphere is both as hectic and loud as the atmosphere in a busy bus station and as jovial as the atmosphere during Christmas. Regardless of how pleasant atmospheres in large families are, there is always the fact that there are more people and therefore the parents have more needs to meet, more people to please. For example, children have activities and sports during their free time. Parents have to figure out a way to be good jugglers, keeping all the balls in the air at the same time. Living in a large family demands patience and understanding. But learning how to do both of these things can also help for future life. Patience and understanding are two qualities that are very important to have for many things in life, such as applying for jobs, having a family and even something as simple as waiting in line at a grocery store. With only one child in a family, parents provide strong support yet they tend to spoil their only son or daughter. Being spoiled, this child does not always turn into an unpleasant person, but it doesn’t necessarily teach them a lesson of patience and understanding. This is because the children have nothing to be patient for; their parents are always conscious of their demands.
Having a more medium sized family with one older brother and one older sister, I have had the experience of both being annoyed with my siblings, but nevertheless always loving them unconditionally. Siblings can help a child gain experience and skills, and live life in this world as an individual.
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