If you have a large number of siblings, did you enjoy it growing up?

[StormBringers]

I keep seeing negative posts from those from large families (5/6 children and more). Quite a few of my friends have very large families, the kids in all but one seem either happy or not bothered.

Wondering how people feel as adults about it in general. I have a moderate size family myself, and I grew up in the same size family, as did my husband so no variation here!

I'm the third of seven. I loved it, and so did my siblings. We're all close, with a few niggles here and there.

I am one of a sprawling clan.
I recently arrived at an event and the greeter asked me’ Are you alone?’
In the best possible way in a fundamental way, no. I am not alone I am part of a tribe. I feel them around me even when I am by myself. I can always find someone to talk to or to nurture.
I love the feeling that everyone has my back. There are so many people who love me and I love.

I'm the oldest of 7 and I hated it. I love my siblings but they're were too many of us, my mother only really likes babies until they start talking and after that they were left to me because she would have another.

*there

Oldest of five, and hated it — not enough attention, space, food, money ets for us all, and eldest daughter = default surrogate parent, endless chores. Of us all, I’m the only one to have had a child, and I have only one by choice. It’s made us all adults who prefer their own space, and we’re not close.

1 of 4. We were always played off against each other by our parents. Don't have anything to do with each other as adults. Says it all really....

I am an only child. Dad was one of 8. This was why I am an only.

Mum was 1 of four and wanted more than one child.

They had different experiences as children which had an effect on the number of children they wanted.

I have two. Would have had more, probably just as well I didn't as it turns out I have an inherited condition which has 50% chance of being passed on. Both children are autistic as well. Having more children with difficulties would not have been a good idea.

Reading through, there is a significant number of who did not like it mentioning how they were parented as a reason.

Both my parents, neither of them liked it, but both came from families with v little money and abusive / Stately Homes type situations.

Neither they or their siblings have more than three DC.

Sounds like any other size family, some people had happy childhoods and some people enjoyed the siblings they had some not so much. I know several only children who hated their home life and longed for siblings. I also know several who loved being the one and only.

I'm youngest of six, four boys then two girls. I wouldn't say I was unhappy growing up as such, but my mum in particular certainly spread herself too thinly. She's not even particularly maternal, and I'm not sure why she had so many of us.
We were always skint, so there was never much in the way of new things. Everything got passed down and, being youngest, stuff was pretty much done in by the time it got to me. I grew up wearing what would be considered to be "boys" clothes - so, ill-fitting shirts and jeans etc. I got given broken old bikes with the pedals hanging off, and action men with no arms .
As adults, I'm incredibly close to my sister even although we weren't close growing up. It's good to have someone who knows the family dynamics, and can share the experience of our now toxic mother. I'm reasonably close to three of my brother's, but I don't see them regularly - we're spread out over the country, and just have busy lives I suppose.
I'm NC with my eldest brother, and have been for years. He's a dreadful little man, but I was only 7 when he left home, so I don't feel like we have any shared history together anyway.
Not one of us has gone on to have a large family - I have three, as does one of my brothers. The others have two or just one. So none of us were in a rush to replicate our upbringing.

Youngest of 5.Grew up in 90s. Bloody awful.. Never enough of anything- be that time, money or care. And as a result, there is fairly low contact to my parents all round (additional issue is a narcissistic mum and enabling dad who was also absent during a lot of the time through work commitments).
Only one sibling would be what I would consider close to. But still not a massively open relationship. Its only since becoming a mum myself that I can see how disfunctional my upbringing was, and how things that were packaged in a way to seem novel were actually just me getting the shitty end of an already shit stick.
The financial stuff was pretty rubbish too- Christmas was always a bit hit and miss and birthdays compared to what my peers had, were just "family dinners".
I honestly couldn't find a good moment from my childhood which wasn't impacted on by being such a large family or by having such awful parents... And maybe the parent thing is more important here?? My siblings were pretty awful but some of the behaviour was enhanced by my parents reactions (or not) to it.

I am 5th of six dc.
I hated it
Never enough money and you can never give each child the attention they deserve.
Three siblings had one child each, two had two each and one had three though the third was an accidental pg..

One of my colleagues is always cornering me to tell me that I need to have more kids because she was one of six and it made her the person she is. By her account, she had to fight her siblings tooth and nail for parental attention and that made her tough, not like snowflake children who grow up with just 1 or 2 siblings to compete with. She is completely serious about this advice.

However, she's a bit strange so I doubt she's typical! Sounds as though people on this thread had a range of experiences, as with any other family size.

I'm the youngest of seven and it wasn't always easy. My eldest sister had a bossy streak which made me dislike her somewhat. Definitely the golden first-born, own bedroom, privileged, 'I'm the eldest, therefore...'. I, on the other hand, was always the baby and I felt rather second-class a lot of the time. My Mum, now departed, never accepted that I was growing up and was over-protective. My family life has left me far from well-adjusted. Apart from my middle sister, I rarely see or have any contact with my siblings.

Middle of 5 and absolutely hated it. 1 sibling disabled, obviously no one's fault but as a consequence I was essentially ignored all through my childhood when I wasn't being emotionally abused by both parents and none of us siblings have any contact with each other now that we're adults. Parents' attitudes set us up against each other.
I suppose one's childhood is down to the parents, but of course every child one has impacts upon the emotional and financial resources of the family.

Happy 1 out of 4 here, never felt forgotten about or anything (am aware we arent the largest)

Thank you everyone for replying, it’s been an interesting read. It’s fairly varied, but there’s clearly some good chance of negativity. I have a friend pg with a 12th who is amazing and calm, but then I know people not coping with 4/5. I guess it’s more a parenting issue than family size dictating outcomes.

I have 3, my husband and I were both one of three. Our siblings have 3 each and our parents were one of three. I guess we were fine with the dynamic of 3 😆