Maria plus 8

My dad, and one brother are missing in this picture.

                                                                   Family

    The number one priority in my life is my family. My family is composed of my parents, and eight siblings. Yes you read correctly, just like the Brady Bunch ten different people under one roof. I have five brothers, and two sisters which of the bunch I am the youngest one. Growing up in a large family there was always the ups, and downs. Holidays, and birthdays were always the best that is when all the differences were set aside to bring the family closer together. My parents raised us to always be united no matter the circumstances. Growing up was not always very pleasant, each of us have different personalities, and different temperaments. I have three children of my  own, and sometimes it feels like I'm running a circus. I can not imagine raising eight children, and not loose sanity in the process.

       My mother practically raised all of us on her own. We were the traditional family, where my dad would work all the time, and my mother stayed home to raise us.  Growing up I do not recall having any major conflicts between any of us, perhaps during dinner time,deciding who was to have the last tortilla. My mother would maintain sanity in our home by finding ways to keep us together, but most importantly occupied. On Saturday mornings she would take us walking to the cotton fields, and we would help her pick cotton. On Sundays it was family time, my mother would take us to the park, the circus, the "lucha libre" ( Mexican wrestling), and if there was time left she would play soccer or baseball with us. Up to this day, at her 72 years of age,  she continues to maintain us together as a family, and now as a bigger family with all her grandchildren too.    

     Typically in big families, the siblings tend to pair up in twos of threes. In our case it was in twos, I paired up with my brother before me. We are seven years apart, and even though there is a big age difference we have similar personalities. In the case of my children, they are all different therefore they do not team up in this case it is every man for himself. I have taught my children that family is extremely important, and when it comes to other people, they set their differences aside and support each other. 

     As we each got older, and choose different paths we never lost sight of how important our family bond is. Just like my children, each one of my siblings is a different package. Therefore growing up in a such a big family, I believe that each one was an influence in my own character. I always tell them that I am their creations, because I am a combination of all of them. For example, my music preference comes from listening to different styles of music. My love for sports I obtained from my brothers,my love for makeup and shoes from my sister, my love from animals from my father, and my love for cooking from my mother. I have the advantage of having a lot of role models to follow, and support to pursue my dreams.