One Of Ten

Me and my family

What is like to be one of ten? Well, in my family…

Imagine you’re around ten years old, stealing through the woods behind your oldest brother, surrounded by six other siblings. You’re trying to be as stealthy as you can lest the “Indians,” which you’re old enough to know really aren’t there, but which by the seriousness of your oldest brother’s warning to be quiet as mice, you wonder if perhaps they might be there, find, and capture you all! 

Imagine the seven of you wading down the entire length of your creek, stopping at the deep pools to do a little swimming, catching crawdads and water skeeters and the small minnows which wriggle about in the water (or trying to). 

Imagine Dad and Mama gone on a trip and your oldest sister coming to stay with you. While she’s there, imagine you’re having Chinese night with ethnic food, and everyone, even down to her little two-year-old, using chopsticks and talking “Chinese” for the duration of the meal. 

Imagine hiking all day and partly into the night with four of your siblings until you find a suitable niche in an overhang to spend the night, then waking up in the morning to fix hot chocolate with biscuits roasted on a stick.

Imagine seven of you, led by your second oldest brother, building your own little village out of few plum trees and brush entangled in honeysuckle, having your own businesses as sword crafters, basket makers, honeysuckle, and blackberry gatherers. Imagine the sound of your older sisters’ laughter filling the kitchen, and the smell of crispy sweet funnel cakes piled high wafting out to six of you waiting on the back porch.

 

Imagine wanting to ride your family’s miniature donkey, yet not being brave enough to get on for fear he’ll buck you off; yet your oldest brother places you on its back and leads you all around the farm until you stop screaming from fear and actually start to enjoy your ride. Imagine your second oldest sister becoming screenwriter, film crew, actress, director, makeup artist, costume designer, sound crew, producer, all as she guides eight of you to create various films.

Imagine you and your older sisters spending the afternoon taking cats and dressing them up in clothes meant for your baby dolls. Imagine spending all morning riding bicycles through the playground on paths so well used that the grass no longer grows there.

 

Imagine the seven youngest, armed to the teeth with baseball bats, tennis rackets, clubs and swords, setting out to do battle with the wasps which have taken up residence around the house. Imagine being awoken in the night by your sister to go downstairs and give the little bottle-fed lamb, who sleeps in a cage in the corner of the kitchen, his midnight milk. Imagine a group of you sent out to wash the car and after a short time of cleaning, the soapy water and hose meant for the vehicle gets turned on each other.

Imagine romping about the woods with three brothers catching every living thing that gets within arm’s reach. 

Imagine eight of you leaving the house bearing old ice-cream buckets to pick blackberries, and coming back buckets more or less full, depending on how blackberry stained your mouth is or how unhungry you are for dinner. Imagine spinning yourself sick on the tire-go-round with three other siblings yet having too much fun to ask the older ones to stop pushing you. Imagine seven of you all crowded into your sandbox which quickly turns into a construction zone or a bakery for a few hours.

Imagine lots of love, fun, laughter, and adventures. In my family that’s what it’s like to be one of ten, and I love it!

~ Halayah