A very large family

Greetings!

I have never imagined my family comprising just 2 or 3 members—no, no, it doesn't seem right at all. Even when my parents gave birth to many younger ones after me, my family has never been small or scanty. There were always relatives in our house who lived with us as immediate family members.

Shockingly to you, my parents gave birth to 10 children—that’s almost a football squad!😂 It’s always a big thing of joy and 'noise' whenever we are around because the bond is always strong, especially with the fact that our house is small, and everyone lives a very non-private life. Yes, that’s how it is.

It’s a family groomed in a very African way, where the ladies are known for kitchen duties while the guys handle the main farm work. When it comes to food, there’s this joy that comes whenever the males line up to banter about the food cooked by the females. I can’t talk about my family without mentioning that. The only person we didn’t—and still don’t—have the power to throw banter at is my mom. Interestingly, all of us boys know how to cook, so whenever the arguments became intense, we would excuse the girls and make our own food. Of course, there was always foodstuff at home because we farmed.

My family is a very fun one. Even when we were lamenting about the strenuous and excessive farm work, going to the farm in our numbers and working together had a way of making us forget how exhausting it was. You know, there’s a kind of fun that comes with working in the midst of people while laughing, gisting, and throwing shades. OMG! My family is a bunch of love.

Would I have preferred a smaller family?
To be very sincere, there were times when we felt bad because we didn’t have money to pay our school fees, and we would be flogged very badly in school. During those times, my parents would push hard to pay up, but because we were many, it usually took a longer time to get to my turn. I’m among the oldest, so the younger ones were considered first since they couldn’t bear or maneuver the flogging like we, the older ones, used to do.

Nevertheless, I would still pick my large family. Back then, our home/compound, due to how large we were, became a center of play for the street. Families with just one or two kids would leave their houses and come to ours. I can’t imagine having to go to other people’s houses to camp there.

What about me—would I raise a large family?
My parents had us in excess, and I don’t plan to go to that extent, but I would really love to have a noisy house where my kids wouldn’t need to sneak out to play. Do you get it? I don’t have a specific number in mind, but it’s definitely not going to be just two children.😎

Thanks for reading.

Photos are mine.