She said, she said: The pros, cons of small and large families

Students discuss family sizes, debate the benefits, downfalls of their own

Payton Fenwick

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Junior Payton Fenwick poses with her families as a family of ten.

I live in a family of ten. While my family is a divorced one, I am thankful. In a world like today that is full of hate and animosity, adolescents, who, according to dailymail.com, stay in the adolescent stage until age 25, need support and love. A family of ten verses a family of three. Who is going to give more support? Not only will I have nine times the support but I also have a large variety of different expertise areas.

When you think about a small family, say of three people, there are less sources of support. Sure, the support is more focused on the only child, but there is only so much support one can give. I will always have someone to talk to no matter what the issue is. Albeit, I wouldn’t wish a divorce on my worst enemy, it has indirectly helped my life for the better. Instead of having one sibling and two parents, I now have five siblings and four parents. It of course gets hectic, with having plans every night of the week for each child, but this ensures that there is always a parent at each event. Whether it be a basketball game or a dance performance, we are supported.

Having a large family is scientifically proven by familyshare.com to make a person more self-reliant. Also, having a large family means you may be needed around the house more which makes you more knowledgeable about real-world things needed for when you are on your own. According to importantindia.com, being in a small family prevents a person from becoming a well-rounded individual.

Small families are desirable by many children who are in a large family, but may end up glad in the long run that they have a large family. Think about Thanksgiving and Christmas. The only way for it to really feel like a holiday, for me anyways, is for it to be loud, warm and to be surrounded by my loved ones. With four sets of grandparents, how else is a holiday supposed to go? What happens when you are an only child? What will the family gatherings be like when you grow up?
Having the whole house to yourself, and it being quiet most nights is intriguing, yes, but I wouldn’t trade my loud, rambunctious, annoying-at-times family for anything.