How Many in Your Family?

[cruiser gal]

I grew up with just myself, my sister and my parents.My parents were old enough to be my grandparents. No uncles, aunts, only 1 cousin, who was 30 years older than me, so I missed the big family dynamics. Now I have inherited DH's family! He is the eldest of 5 siblings, 2 brothers & 2 sisters, and their kids, and his parents (who are fairly young), and he has 4 kids of his own, uncles, aunts, cousins. In the beginning I thought it was great, but as the years have gone by, I have observed tensions, and not so great dynamics in having such an extended family. I am very diplomatic though! What about your families???

[MotherOfGizmo]

Re: How Many in Your Family?

I have one brother and one sister and 1 mom and 1 dad. I had only one grandparent, the rest died before I was born. And I hardly ever saw any aunts uncles etc we were always living way too far away.

My bf is one of 10 children! YIKES! I don't know how his mom did it!

[Piasabird]

Re: How Many in Your Family?

Wow, there for a mintue I just kind of zoned out staring at MoG's dancing stars.

I grew up being shuffled around between grandparents and parents. I have one sister. She was shuffled between the second set of grandparents and our parents. So, it almost felt like I didn't have a sister. The aunts and uncles never came around much.

So my family was very small and I've paired up with someone who grew up very much the same as I did. Except for the shuffling parts.

[MotherOfGizmo]

Re: How Many in Your Family?

Wow, there for a mintue I just kind of zoned out staring at MoG's dancing stars.

You are now under my spell!

[Piasabird]

Re: How Many in Your Family?

You are now under my spell!

What would you have me do, oh great one?

[MotherOfGizmo]

Re: How Many in Your Family?

What would you have me do, oh great one?

ROTFLMBO, I love the little bowing emoticon

Hmmm, lets see, Make my boss let me outta here already! Oh, that's right, you're not a Genie...tee hee

[jsj0305]

Re: How Many in Your Family?

Okay..I am the second oldest of 4 children. I have a ma, a dad, a step ma and step dad and 3 step sisters and a step brother... 12 1st cousins and a lot of other people I love Then I'm married and hev one child. Too many inlaws to count....

I have a lot of extended family, ya know not in your family but might as well be.

This is a great thread. Good idea

[2big4mysize]

Re: How Many in Your Family?

i have one sety of parents, 2 ssters and a brother, 4 grandparents 3 aunts and 3 uncles and 9 cousins. we were all close till my family moved when I was 6 then I saw the exteded family about once a yr. Funny thing when I and my sibs were little we were really close but the pitting one agaisnt the other by my mother to get stuff done ( who cn get dressee the fasted who can clean up the fastest) we now are not close at all. After my dad died in June my older sister andI have become closer cause we get to deal with caring for my mother now.

[Piasabird]

Re: How Many in Your Family?

Too bad that sometimes it takes a family tragedy to bring people closer. I'm going through something similar.

[cruiser gal]

Re: How Many in Your Family?

Oh I forgot to mention, I have one fabulous daughter, who truly is my inspiration, and challenges me just like I did my mother!!! I also consider my ex-husband's family as mine, even though I haven't been married to him for over 18 years. They are wonderful, bil, nieces, nephews, and great nieces & great nephews. I'm also quite close with my sister's kids, they are all grown-up and living in different cities. How could I have omitted all of these wonderful family members. I guess the new ones, have left a bitter taste in my mouth!!!

[mjett37]

Re: How Many in Your Family?

Iam the oldest of 8 kids; 6 girls and two boys. And my husband is the 5th of 13 children

[sadie147]

Re: How Many in Your Family?

wow alot of big families here!

Only child, dad died when i was 16 (massive heart attack), mom died when i was 17 (colon cancer, spread to the brain).

My mom was one of 6 and her family was/is very close. still are. I still have 2 living aunts, and 2 uncles, all of whom i am close to. 14 . I didn't really know dad's family as he was also an only child and his parents died before i was born.

I don't have kids of my own, but have a 13 yr old stepdaughter and i've been with my husband since she was 1..so we're very close.

[Katlam]

Re: How Many in Your Family?

Hmmm, well I'm the eldest of 5 kids (only 3 are alive now). One of my brother's has a daughter and 2 sons. The other is recently married (just about a year).

Growing up I had all 4 grandparents, both my parents, my dads sister (is/was a sister/nun) and my mom had 5 siblings (all married) and I believe that there were 23 of us cousins (now there are 20). I've been to many of my cousins weddings, I talk via IM to a bunch of Aunts and cousins.

I actually know and have kept in touch with a few of my extended cousins on mu dad's side as well (our grandparents were siblings) from family gatherings at great aunts Mauguerite and Ceclia's house back in the 70's. I also have contact with some distant cousins on moms side but haven't really kept up there.

My hubby is 4th of 5 boys, 2 married (1 of them just got divorced). I have 3 neices and 3 nephews on hubby's side. I like my inlaws (his folks). We've had the fun of knowing all 4 of hubby's grandparents, though only 1 remains now and is quite frail in her early 90's. He's got 3 uncles, 3 aunts and cousins that he never has spent time with (on his mom's side) so I don't really know them, but we do know a bunch from his dad's side of the family.

Wow, that's probably more than you wanted to know right?? LOL!!

Kathy

[stephbob]

Re: How Many in Your Family?

I'm the eldest child of three, I have one brother and one sister. I grew up with my mom and dad until my parents divorced when I was 13 (actually on my 13th birthday, fun!) and my dad moved out.

I spent a lot of time with extended family. Was very close to my maternal Grandmother until she died on my 8th birthday (birthdays arent great for me, clearly lol) and I'm closer now to my paternal grandmother. Both my grandfathers died before I was born though. One great aunts, lots of cousins and second and third cousins (my mom was adopted into a HUGE huge family!)

And weirdly enough, my boyfriend's family is so reflective of mine. He too is the eldest of three children, one brother and one sister (his sister and my brother are exacttly the same age, my sister and his brother the same age) And he too grew up around his extended family and is very close to them. So I feel at home with them because theyre so much like mine.