Things You’ll Only Understand If You Have LOTS of Siblings

Life in a house full of siblings has its ups and downs.

If you're constantly surrounded by brothers and sisters, you know the struggle of sharing every little thing and occasionally envying the quiet that must come with being an only child. Here are things you'll only understand if you have a lot of siblings.

(Stuck in the Middle via Disney Channel)

1. Strict schedules are the law of the land. You and your siblings have a staggered set of alarms set to wake you up, and if you don't stick to the shower schedule, chaos is sure to ensue.

2. When mom calls the family in for dinner, it's a race to the table. No "Five more minutes!" here, because if you don't grab your food quick, there may not be anything left.

(via Shutterstock)

3. Not one photo of your immediate family exists where everyone looks like they even know they're all posing for a photo. At least one pair of eyes is shut every time.

4. Your mom constantly calls you by the wrong name, sometimes naming three of your siblings and the dog before landing on the name that actually belongs to you.

5. Kind of have to go to the bathroom? You go now, because if you don't claim it while it's free, you'll regret it.

6. The family minivan gets packed like a can of sardines any time there's any kind of outing.

7. Teachers and school staff spend the first month of school referring to you as your sibling's sibling.

8. You wear a lot of hand-me-downs, whether it's on purpose or not. When you see your sister wearing your favorite top, you can't even be mad because the laundry is a free-for-all.

(via Shutterstock)

9. Whenever the parents go out of town, there's an agreement between all the siblings that the house will be a temporary wreck. You know all-too-well the feeling of banding together the night before they get back to make the house shiny and spotless again.

10. If you've got a problem, you're surrounded by people who've got your back.

11. Buying every one of your siblings presents for the holiday season means you're always broke in December.

12. But they have to reciprocate. You get way more presents than the average kid, and your siblings know you better than anyone, so it's kind of worth it.

13. But a lot of the presents you get from your parents, aunts and uncles are the same exact gift your siblings got—maybe in a different color.

14. Year-round birthdays mean you never have any money saved up—and that you have to memorize a lot of birthdays.

15. You dream of someday having the privacy of an unshared bedroom, and alone time is a thing to be cherished.

(via Shutterstock)

16. But if you weren't constantly surrounded by tons of brothers and sisters, you know life just wouldn't be the same.

 

Older siblings getting you down? HERE are things you'll only get if you're the youngest child in the family.