[speaker001:] Okay.
[speaker002:] Okay.
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] I forgot all about that that it had to be pressed.
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] Um, but anyway, so, so as far as, w-, we really, we don't want to get in the habit of watching a lot of T V
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] because we both were raised, you know, that way, you know, where our parents sort of stuck us in front of a T V to be the baby-sitter.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] And we just don't want that. We want more communication and interaction, you know, amongst us as a family. And we both like sports, so we figured, well what, what better way to get out and, you know, be together as a family
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] and also, you know, have it be good for you. And plus, we like, we both like to cook, so, you know, that's something we spend time together too, is, you know, cooking and, uh, preparing meals and stuff. So, uh, but as far as that [LAUGHTER], that's about all we've discussed as far as for family.
[speaker001:] Really, okay, well see, I'm the third oldest of twelve children. .
[speaker002:] Oh my gosh.
[speaker001:] So like I said, I, and I'm only twenty-one. I'll be twenty-two next month. So there's nine that are younger than me. My youngest sister is five.
[speaker002:] Oh yeah.
[speaker001:] And like I sa-, I don't have any children. I'm just engaged, and I'm getting married in October, and we haven't discussed this at all [LAUGHTER]. Um.
[speaker002:] Yeah, long way down the road, right.
[speaker001:] Yeah, exactly. But, um, now I've noticed that like, while I'm at college, and when I go home, my bro-, you know, my, I'm really close to the younger ones, and, um, like, when, when, like when I do go home they enjoy just laying around me, you know, like if we do watch T V at night, they just like enjoy just, like laying on top of me or something.
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] They like that.
[speaker002:] [LAUGHTER].
[speaker001:] But, um, as far as that goes, like we play games, I play like Old Maid and Fish with them, and w-, we play board games, and when it's ni-, like I'm from Pennsylvania, so when it's nice out, we go outside, and we like to play like kick ball and softball and stuff. So.
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] We do a lot of that. And in the summer everyone is like, I think there's like seven of us still at home, and all seven are in a sport, like also the girls are in softball and the boys are in baseball. So all summer we live on hamburgers and hot dogs and sports, that's it, you know.
[speaker002:] Well do you, do you, so you go, if you're, if you're not doing any kind of sport thing you go to one of your sisters' or brothers'
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] sporting events.
[speaker001:] Yes.
[speaker002:] And sort of like be there with them.
[speaker001:] Right, yeah, we go and watch.
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] Well, that's, that's good, too, I mean, as far as entering, I mean, you're, you're participating, but you're not, you know.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] I mean at least you're encouraging them on and stuff and that's,
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] because, um, even if our kids, you know, get into sports that we're really not interested in, I don't, I want them, you know, to know that we're still there
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] so to speak, as a family.
[speaker001:] Well, it's funny because, um, well, my mom and dad both were kind of athletic. They both grew up on a farm, but although, you know, it wasn't them playing I notice like whenever I was playing softball and such, my mom and dad got into it more than I did. I mean, they'd be in the audience screaming and yelling, you know, so.
[speaker002:] Yeah. Cheering you on and stuff.
[speaker001:] A lot of times the parents get into it just as much as, as the kids, and I found, like a lot of times like when we went on to tournaments and stuff, it was really funny because the crowds would like get into argu-, you know, get into fights, who can scream louder, and you know, everything. So it's really pretty funny to see my parents get into it, and they're not really even participating.
[speaker002:] Yeah, well, that, that would be fun. Boy, so you, you have a lot of experience as far as, you know, different ways a family can interact and, and do things together,
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] as far as, go-, twelve.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] But it's so, if you're not, i-, what if, do people go off in their own little groups with that many? I mean, did like some people go to their rooms and,
[speaker001:] Yeah, it's, um, the, the one down thing about having that many people in our family is you real-, we really don't have any privacy when we're at home, because you couldn't possibly have a house with twelve bedrooms.
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] But, um, like I say, you know, I'm twenty, I'll be twenty-two next month, and I'm closer to the younger kids than I am the ones my own age. And that's, I think,
[speaker002:] Huh.
[speaker001:] that's because we-, the ones that are older all have their own little thing to do, and the younger kids are at home, and I like to spend time with them. So.
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] I don't, I don't, you know,
[speaker002:] But when you were growing up and they weren't, and the younger ones weren't around, what did you do?
[speaker001:] We were all pretty close when we were younger.
[speaker002:] Oh, I see. But now that they've all sort of moved off,
[speaker001:] Yeah, now that we're getting older, people are get-, you know, each one of us are going our own direction.
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] So, do you think, even, I mean, what did you do when you were younger, did you go do the board games and stuff, you still did what you do now.
[speaker001:] Oh, yeah. And, um, we, you know, we had blocks and stuff, and [LAUGHTER] we just did, we would make, like in the winter when it wa-, we couldn't go outside because of the snow and stuff
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] we, uh, [LAUGHTER] we would, um, [LAUGHTER] clear out our basement, and we would like, do, just, even stupid things, like we try hurtling our couches and stuff. You know, and.
[speaker002:] Hurling.
[speaker001:] Yeah, we would just run and jump over the couches.
[speaker002:] Oh, hurtle, oh, okay.
[speaker001:] Yeah, to see who could jump over, you know. We just made up our own stupid little games. And like hide and seek, well, we have a, a bigger house than a lot, you know, our house isn't the average small one. So we could like play hide and go seek in our house and even stuff like that.
[speaker002:] So you, you had a lot of games and things you played
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] even when you were kids with the ones that you,
[speaker001:] Well see, they're, um, we're all, like we're all pretty close together. Like, m-, my sister that's closest to me, we're only fourteen months apart.
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] So there was always, there was never just one alone, you know.
[speaker002:] Yeah, no, not real spread in age.
[speaker001:] Right. So we were all pretty close where we, we always had a buddy to play with,
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] you know.
[speaker002:] Gosh, twelve, is that, is that pretty common up there, uh, in,
[speaker001:] No, no, not at all.
[speaker002:] Oh, okay.
[speaker001:] Not at all [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] I don't meet, I mean, I don't speak with many people that come from families that large any more. I mean
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] my, my husband's mother came from a family of thirteen, but, I mean, that's his mother
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] you know, and, and their Catholic *they're and, I mean that's,
[speaker001:] Well, yeah, I'm Catholic [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] Well that's it then, I think, probably maybe that, that.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] But, I mean, do you see yourself having thirteen kids
[speaker001:] No, not at all.
[speaker002:] or twelve kids?
[speaker001:] Not at all.
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] But, see, um, when I was younger I used to say that I would like to have five. Well, I've even cut that down now, and, um, but to me five wasn't even a lot, because I was just so used to twelve.
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] You know.
[speaker002:] [LAUGHTER] But it's so expensive, man.
[speaker001:] But, yeah, it's so, it would be really hard now to have twelve children.
[speaker002:] I would think for your parents it would be, it would still be hard even nowadays, I mean, just to raise twelve kids.
[speaker001:] Well,
[speaker002:] Would be, shoosh.
[speaker001:] Well, okay, well like my oldest brother, he's, he's twenty-four, and he put himself through college, and, um, there's a sister older than me, she's still living at home, but she works
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] you know, and I think she even gives mom and dad a little bit, you know, of rent money.
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] And I'm putting myself through college, and like I'm getting married in October, and my fianc3e and I are paying for most of the wedding. And then, then my brother right behind me, he moved out, and he has an apartment, and he works, and then the next one down is in the Marines, and he's out of the house. So, it's kind of like they don't, you know.
[speaker002:] Well sometimes I think maybe the larger families create more independence in the children though, you know. I mean
[speaker001:] I, I think they do.
[speaker002:] you don't expect anything because there is not enough to go around for everybody
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] so you, you kind of have your own independence on going out and getting it yourself,
[speaker001:] Exactly.
[speaker002:] if you really want it.
[speaker001:] Like, uh, well, I find it a lot when I'm up here at college because I've always had a bank account, I've always had my own checking account since I was in like tenth grade.
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] You know, I would work in the summer, and there's a lot of kids up here that would have no idea how to even do a checkbook or, you know,
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] to, to manage money. Like my roommate's [LAUGHTER] laughing at, you know, at me, you know, because their schooling's paid for.
[speaker002:] Or manage money or know, yeah, know, you know, how to get, how to even go about getting money.
[speaker001:] Yeah, uh-huh.
[speaker002:] You know, how to get a job or you know, just what, you know, what, when you get a job, what your responsibility is.
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] Are you going to blow all that money, how easy it is to blow money you earn.
[speaker001:] Yeah. And see, and then, my mom and dad, like whenever, like we would go out and we would get a summer job, and then we would start blowing money, and my mom said, well that's stupid for you to be blowing money. She goes, okay if your going to blow your money on other things, she goes, you can just pay for your life insurance. So then we, when we all graduated from hi-, college, from high school,
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] we all got, we're still, like I'm still covered under my mom and dad's life insurance because I'm still in school, but I have my own policy, too. So I had a poli-, you know, my mom and dad got it set up, you know, you know, helped me to get it and everything, and I have my own policy, and then I pay for my own life insurance too.
[speaker002:] Wow,
[speaker001:] And then
[speaker002:] you've really got responsibilities.
[speaker001:] And then, like, my mom and dad, because there's so many of us, and because of the way the laws are, you know, now, if we want to drive, we have to pay for our own insurance on our cars.
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] Because my mom said, that's silly to let one of the older one's drive it, if we were in a wreck, you know, you can be sued for anything now. And she said that's really not fair to the younger kids. If we were careless and was in a wreck and they got sued and then they can take everything away from my mom and dad, and the little kids would have nothing. And I, I agree with her. You know, I just, I don't know.
[speaker002:] Yeah. Wh-,
[speaker001:] So if, you know, if we want to drive, we pay our own insurance, and.
[speaker002:] So really, I think, sometimes there's an advantage, I mean, sometimes it's good to have a bigger family because it does make you more independent.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] It makes you know that you can't take anything for granted
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] that when you get something you're lucky to get it, so to speak
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] you know. So, um, I don't know, sometimes, but now, it, it is hard, I can imagine, on your parents, you know...