Too often, we are asked how our family of seven manages.
For the Kids Takeover edition, I thought I would let my two oldest tell you just how. Asher and Axton will be answering some of the many questions we are asked and providing their own insight into being the oldest siblings in a big family. Enjoy!
How does your mom do everything she does? Does she have an unbelievable amount of laundry? How does she do baths and bedtime and still have any time for herself? How does the house stay clean?
The truth is, she doesn’t. Not by herself. She has help. From us – Asher (10) and Axton (9). We pull our weight around the house, most of the time without being asked. Every day, we, as a family, do a load of laundry so that it never becomes overwhelming. Every night, I (Asher) give baths to my younger sisters, and I (Axton) help give a bath to my little brother. When one of the babies is crying, and Mommy is busy, one of us will feed, change, or entertain them.
Being an older sibling isn’t really that hard. Here is some advice we think could make it easier for older siblings reading this.
Asher’s Advice:
Help take care of your little siblings. Sometimes my mom needs help. I like helping her with my baby sister and brother.
Help your mom with laundry. My mom shouldn’t have to do everyone’s laundry. So I hang up all the clothes for her.
Teach your siblings how to do things. It is so much fun when one of my sisters or brother learn something new. I like to teach them new stuff.
Be a good role model. I need to make sure I am doing the right thing so they learn good things from me and not bad ones.
Make sure your siblings don’t make bad choices. I can help them make good choices.
Axton’s Advice:
Help your mom with stuff. My mom will ask me to do things sometimes and I help her.
Teach your siblings how to play sports. I love playing football and soccer with my little brother and sister. I teach them how to play.
Make sure that they don’t do anything bad. I make sure that they make good choices and don’t lie.
Make sure they don’t break anything. I make sure they don’t touch anything dangerous or break anything.
Our favorite memory of being an older sibling is when we played with our baby brother on the beach in the sand. Some of our other favorite memories include going to the hospital to meet our new younger siblings, reading to them, and helping them learn new things.
Being an older sibling in a big family can be annoying. Sometimes we fight and sometimes we want quiet. But mainly, it is a blessing. We are learning important things to help us be parents one day.