Missing Normal
"What's it like being in such a BIG family?" I got that question a lot when I was growing up. Having no basis for comparison, my answer was simple. Normal. That's what I'd say. I didn't know anything but and wasn't going to pretend I did. To me, it was normal for 14 people to live together in a small, three-bedroom ranch house. Why would anyone think otherwise? I couldn’t imagine a world that didn’t include bedrooms with multiple bunk beds or beds large enough for siblings to sleep four across. To me, this was normal. Normal was three teenage sisters fighting for mirror space in the only bathroom in the house each morning while the “little ones” snuck in between them to brush their teeth. Normal was the dining room table doubling as a makeup and newspaper reading station in the morning and a study hall in the evening. Normal was staking out your claim on the living room floor when it was time for the family to watch a movie or televised event together. ...