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An Essay: What Living In A Very Large Family Is Like (by Ronee', aged 13) by Karen Lynn Vidra, The Texas Tornado
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
Rated "G" by the Author.
Ronee' Le-Anne Reaux, aged 13, writes of the joys/frustrations of living in a family like hers.
I have a most unusual family, which is quite apparent once you see them (or ME if I happen to be with them!). My family is very large (quite a BIT larger than most!), and we are all colors, like a real-life rainbow. There are children of all ages and sizes, and most of us happen to have disabilities (most are quite apparent). But this is something I have always known and lived with, and to me, this is--well, quite normal.
In my family, I have my parents and also my grandparents (my mother's parents), and I also have my brothers and my sisters (most being older or younger than me). The kids in my family range in age from one-and-a-half to 23 1/2, and most of the kids are still at home. I love ALL of my family members very, very much, and we get along great (MOST of the time!).
Like all families everywhere, there ARE times when we want to KILL one another (NOT really, but we CAN--and DO--get on each other's nerves sometimes!), and it is up to maman and/or daddy to try to keep the peace before there is bloodshed--and before I pass out (I can't STAND the sight of blood; even just a little is enough to make me vomit! LOL).
My family wasn't always like this. In fact, at one time, there were only two kids (Johnny and myself), but I don't remember that far back; Johnny and I were only babies. But then maman and daddy took in more kids, seven, in fact, then four more, and--they did NOT stop until just this past August, when they took in three orphans (two from Sri Lanka, and the other from Romania). Now there are FIFTY-THREE kids in my family (fifty-two if you DON'T include me! *grins*), which means that I have FIFTY-TWO brothers AND sisters!
YIKES.
Maman and daddy decided to try adoption after they lost their three own kids, and Johnny was numero uno while I came at a very close second (like one week AFTER!!). They had heard about Johnny (then called Johannes), and then me, from an adoption agency specializing in difficult adoptions. They did NOT hesitate to say "Yes"! :) As a result, we gained a family, and I gained two parents AND a brother!! Sure, there were many problems at first, but we eventually got used to one another, and we were now a "forever family"!
Maman and daddy decided to take in more children, so they did, and boy, did we EVER get brothers (not to mention, sisters)! They took in kids who were considered to be "undoptable" or kids with special needs because as a rule, there are many kids who are disabled who are waiting in foster homes (or hospitals) or kids who are older than the age of two (some are as old as 16, 17, OR 18, having spent a great deal of their lives in the foster care system!), or kids who are of different backgrounds or races (like me: I am part African-American, Hispanic, Caucasian, AND Native American Indian!). These kids are in desperate need of placement into a family or a home. This was how we first became a family, and even though we are not related to each other by blood, they are, through the Miracle of Adoption, STILL my brothers and sisters, and NOBODY can take us away--EVER. We are now a "Forever Family", and adoption has bonded us forever and ever! :)
Now, the Question arises, and THE Question is this: what is it like living in a family like mine? Well, for starters, there isn't much in the way of privacy to be found here, and at times, that can be bad, especially if I am writing in my journal or trying to work on my homework assignments. I share a room with two sisters (Gemini and Barbara), so someone is always barging in. Secondly, I am never lonely because I always have somebody to talk to, and although we get along, there are those moments where we fight; and I DON'T enjoy that AT all!
Third, I don't get a lot in the way of new clothes (unless it is a day like my birthday or Christmas), and a lot of the clothes I DO get are hand-me-downs or come from thrift stores or places like Wal*Mart or Target. That can get embarrassing at times, especially if a lot of my friends are sporting the latest in trendy clothes.
Another thing that annoys me to no end is that I sometimes get awakened in the middle of the night by Barbara grinding her teeth in her sleep, or with Gemini snoring like a buzzsaw. Or my joints will start hurting, and by the time it is time for me to get up in the morning, I'm really dragging!
But despite the drawbacks, I still love my family (warts and all!), and if it were not for my mother or daddy taking me in as their child, I wouldn't even HAVE a family! So I guess I have to learn to accept the quirks that being a member of a large family brings to me. :)
~Written on January 18, 2006, by Ronee' Le-Anne Reaux, aged 13, for Creative Writing Class.
How they do it is beyond me, but Karen you make it all work beautifully, because of your experstise, having a compassionate heart and knowing how to write! Brava!
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