As the oldest of seven children, I am no stranger to shouting.
“STOP HITTING YOUR BROTHER!”
“QUIT RUNNING IN THE HOUSE!”
“PUT THAT DOWN NOW!!!!!”
Ironically enough, the same little monsters that make me sound and act like an angry drill sergeant are the ones who made me care too much about everything. Whether it comes down to social injustices or a simple, scraped knee, I care, and I sincerely want to help. I suppose that would be how I ended up studying social work too. The people I love taught me to care way too much, and now I can only hope to help wherever I work.
Of course, I have to admit that my sweet and sour siblings are not responsible for all of that. I also have the benefit of a pair of loving, supportive parents who have helped me pursue every new interest as quickly as the last. My mother taught me to cook and bake in what little spare time she had. There was never a question, no matter how obvious the answer should have been, that she was too busy to answer. My dad showed me what it was like to go out hiking and camping, taught me to pitch a tent. He was the one who showed me how vast and incredible the world really was and sparked my interest in going out to see it.
My family are the reason I am the person I am today. They taught me the trust and loyalty that make me a good girlfriend. They taught me a love for exploration and curiosity that make me a good student, and they taught me the patience and joy that make me a good friend. I am a bleeding heart loudmouth because of the loudmouthed bleeding hearts who raised me and the ones I, myself, helped raise.
Good to meet you, Bethany! I am one of two children... I cannot imagine what your life must have been like with six siblings! You write so eloquently and descriptively - it is absolutely captivating. We share a common passion for social justice as well as a strong love for family and relationships! I look forward to learning alongside you and continuing to read more of your blog.
ReplyDeleteBethany, I find your story of who you are is very heartfelt. By the way you were raised by a loving family makes it understandable why you would so much want to help others with your work. I too studied social work for a while my junior year. I am ending my degree in religious studies but I understand what it takes to be a social worker and how much you have to care when you are in that work. Looking forward to reading more.
ReplyDeleteI like my peace and quiet too, Bethany... that's a great thing about teaching online: I have the hustle-and-bustle of the Internet if/when I want it, but the mute button is at my command. I hope this class can be part of your exploration of that vast and incredible world... India is a vast place unto itself, with lots of stories (and places) to explore. I hope you will enjoy it! And as for families and family drama, as you're already finding out in the Ramayana, that's a big part of what the epics are all about. :-)
ReplyDeleteHi Bethany! I love how you used the pictures at the beginning of this post! It was very creative and made me laugh- stock photos are always so awkward. You have a really unique style of writing and it is fun to read! I like how you wrote in a way that you told us about yourself through kind of a window of what your family is like. I am in your group for week 2 comments and I am really excited to read your week 2 story, if this post was any indication of your writing style I bet it will be great!!
ReplyDeleteBethany, oh my goodness. I could not even imagine what it's like to have so many siblings. I am an only child and while sometimes I might get a little lonely, it is pretty nice. It's always peaceful in my house. I really enjoyed the pictures you added! It made me laugh out loud in the middle of another class (oops). Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHello Bethany,
ReplyDeleteI can sort of relate to how you feel and what you are saying. I have four sisters and one brother in my family and we constantly used to bicker with one another. They still live back home in Africa, Namibia, so when we get together for family vacations, we are always loud. My husband only has one sibling, so 5 females constantly chattering is a bit overwhelming for him..hahahaha! What is your major? When are you graduating? How many siblings do you have?
I'm majoring in social work here at OU, and I won't be graduating until 2019 so that makes me something of a baby in terms of collegiate development (haha). I have six younger siblings who are all always so happy to see me when I come home for breaks or weekends! And I really get the part about being loud with your sisters. Sometimes it's hard not to be! Especially when you haven't seen each other in a while.
DeleteHi Bethany! Your intro to your introduction was hilarious, I have to say. The way you wrote the entire post was brilliant as well! Alas, I am an only child and I could only wish to have the same experiences you did with your "sweet and sour" siblings. :) I love to sing as well. What kind of music do you listen/sing to the most?
ReplyDeleteHonestly, my music taste is super ecclectic. I have everything from a capella music to ACDC to country, pop, classical, musical, and a little bit of foreign stuff on my phone. I like to pretend it means I'm well rounded and open-minded, but honestly it probably leans more towards making me indecisive than cultured. And yeah, having siblings is great. It's hard to imagine life without them though I'm sure that being an only child has its perks too!
DeleteHi Bethany,
ReplyDeleteSo nice to hear you are a loudmouth too. I am extremely loud and outspoken. I don not have quite as many siblings to blame though. I do have 2 younger brothers. I feel as though two boys are more than enough. Your intro was funny. The pictures made me giggle. At the same time, it was endearing. I loved the ending. Your honest and I like that. You keep doing you, and keep searching for silence where you can find it!
Hi Bethany! I absolutely loved your intro, it was both witty and informative. You did a great job explaining who you are and why. While I only have one younger sibling, I completely understand what it's like to feel like more of a member of #teamparent rather than being a kid yourself. My parents are polar opposites, so my sister always looked to me to set more reasonable expectations. I really look forward to reading your story this week and keeping up with your page as the course goes on!
ReplyDeleteHello, Bethany! Wow, seven children in your family sounds both exciting and crazy. I only have one sibling that is 8 years older than me. I love to go hiking and camping as well! Going on backpacking trips is so fun to get a chance to go travel through nature for a while. It sounds like you and your family are really close to one another.
ReplyDeleteHi Bethany!
ReplyDeleteHopefully your skill of tuning out noise helped you survive the dorm! My hall was always super loud, so I wish I had cultivated that skill in high school. Its great how close you are will your family. What is your favorite thing to bake with your mom? My mom and I tried to make french macaroons once and it was so hard! However, I would recommend trying because they are sooo good. It is so nice to meet you and I look forward to reading your stories this semester!
Bethany, it is very nice to meet you! I really liked reading your introduction post, seven children sounds so exciting but also stressful at the same time! I have one brother who is younger than me, but my family also has two cats and two dogs who I kind of consider to be like siblings to me as well. Hiking is so exciting it makes me feel a sense of accomplishment if I can hike a full trail. I went hiking in Vail, Colorado two summers ago and it was a life changing experiencing! The weather was almost as beautiful as the scenery and believe it or not there was snow on the ground at some of the highest points in our hike.
ReplyDeleteHello Bethany! I love your introduction. I was laughing when I read the caption under each of the images! It is amazing that you are the oldest of seven and my oh my! It is awesome you can handle all the craziness! I am an oldest of two and my sister is 16 years younger than I am, and she sometimes annoys me already (I love her a lot, I do), but now reading about you, I shouldn't be complaining anymore! But hey, it is great that you was able to use your skills to help you in life :) Sometime, you need a little bit of peace of quiet and everything will be alright!
ReplyDeleteHey Bethany! Your introduction was awesome. I loved how you started and ended with being a "bleeding heart loudmouth" because you incorporated so many elements of your life into that brief introduction. I definitely understand the shouting because it is difficult to not shout when you have a sibling. I love how you tied in that little detail about shouting into the various elements of your life! I'm looking forward to reading your other posts!
ReplyDeleteHi Bethany! I really like your introduction. Sometimes I find that people that are loud sometimes deny this, but I love that you are almost proud of this! I understand that you have to be with 6 siblings! Your family sounds lovely and it sounds like your parents have taught you really valuable life lessons. Thank you for sharing, Bethany!
ReplyDeleteBethany, I think it’s great how fondly you speak of your family. I completely understand occasionally (or frequently) wanting to strangle siblings but its great that you have such a loving a close relationship with them and your parents. Your relationship with your parents seems very similar to the one I have with mine which is rare these days and definitely something to appreciate. Nice to meet you!
ReplyDeleteHi Bethany!, I think it's very cool that you embrace the way you are! It's funny, I had never thought about making the connection of having a lot of siblings to shouting more. I thought that was interesting. I grew up an only child, so I'm always interested to hear different perspectives of those who grew up with many siblings. I couldn't imagine! haha
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ReplyDeleteHello, it is so nice to meet you! I love the fact that you are doing social work. I also just want to help people in my life. I want to make a difference. I wanted to do social work as my undergrad but I had already changed my major too much. I am doing Human Relations. I love that your siblings are the ones that have made you care so much about the world. Having that characteristic is so important. It is so nice meeting you, and I look forward to reading your stories!
first off your photos and captions are hilarious! How are you feeling about being here at college away from your big family? I love your reason for how you got into social work. I bet you do a wonderful job! Your parents and siblings sound pretty awesome do you get to visit them often? I bet they are all proud of you! It was nice to meet you!
ReplyDeleteHa, this has to be the most glorious opening to an introduction I’ve ever seen. “Sweet and sour” is the perfect description for the dynamic between siblings, and it was really great to get to read such a heartfelt ode to family. Based on all of this, social work seems like the perfect field for you to go into. Looking forward to reading your other writing!
ReplyDeleteWow,
ReplyDeleteI think it is incredible that you were grew up with six siblings. I only grew up with two older brothers so I can only imagine what that must have been like. I think it is also great that you were so blessed to have grown up with such a loving family like yours sound. I think you will be a great social worker and an achieve awesome things in the future.
I think this has been one of the best titles and introductions that I have seen so far. I just really appreciate how you started your introduction with one short line and added the images of the guy with the megaphone. I had a large family, four sisters to be exact ; however, I'm not sure how you handled being one of seven children. I never had the "stop hitting your brother" shouted at me, but I have had "quit antagonizing your sister" and "don't play ball in the house" reiterated several times. Every now and then (all the time), my sisters and I would get a "QUIET DOWN" because we loved singing also.
ReplyDeleteHi Bethany!
ReplyDeleteNice to meet you! I was trying to visit some blogs that I have yet to even see now that the semester is coming to an end. I like the approach you took with your introduction, as it is the most unique writing style I have seen compared to all of the introductions I have gotten to read. It really captivated your personality! I can totally relate to the siblings shouting that you have described here. We totally get in trouble all the time. I'm glad I was able to meet you before the semester ended!
Bethany! It's awesome to meet you. Your life sounds absolutely crazy growing up with so many siblings! I thought I had a big family, and I only have 3 siblings. I have over 100 cousins though if you combine both sides of my family, so I'm no stranger to extended family being huge though. I can definitely relate to the shouting aspect associated with bigger families. There was never a quiet moment in my house growing up. I live alone now and it's a bit weird for me always having such a quiet house-I'm not sure I'm a fan. That's why I intend to get a roommate this fall semester.
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