Many students know what life is like living with a brother or sister. Siblings often are forced to share or fight for the attention of their parents.
Senior Michael Hall, the oldest of nine, would never be able to live without his eight siblings. Hall has been a sibling of many for roughly 15 years, with four brothers and four sisters. Although being the oldest may seem like a hard task, Hall definitely sees the advantages, such as having more authority and receiving the least amount of attention, which he tends to enjoy.
“The thing I love most about being the oldest sibling is that I am generally more listened to and respected than my younger siblings,” said Hall.
Because he is the oldest, he has extra responsibilities. Since Hall is the only sibling with a car, he takes care of most of the transportation. He also does a lot of the babysitting when his parents aren’t home.
“I am expected to do more than the younger siblings, like more chores. Also, I feel that as the oldest, I am held to higher expectations, which can always be challenging,” said Hall.
In general, Hall believes he is closest to two of his brothers, as they enjoy many of the same video games and TV shows.
Aside from the positives, being the oldest also has disadvantages.
“I like when they enjoy the same things I do, allowing me to share the joy of that interest with them. Some bad experiences I have had are when they take and or break my stuff,” said Hall.
Out of the nine of them, three of Hall’s siblings are adopted. One was adopted from Africa, one form Florida and one from Utah. Despite the small annoyances, Hall enjoys all the personalities and built-in best friends that come with a large family.
“While there are many small things I don’t enjoy about a big family, such as lack of privacy and personal space, I do enjoy the big picture aspects that I will always have someone to talk and relate to. I also look forward to future family reunions as I think they will be quite interesting,” said Hall.
Story by Ashlyn Bonta