If my kids have a favorite way to spend their time, it’s not xBox, youtube, or other forms of electronics. It’s—you guessed it—cousins’ sleepovers. My kids have lots of cousins. That’s because, in part, I have lots of siblings. In another blog I comment on my parents’ strict adherence to the Catholic Church’s stand on contraception: just say no! Being the oldest of eight was a hoot, and we all loved coming from a large family—well, liked it.  But none of us chose to try to duplicate my parents’ feat.

Only two of us have three kids, five of us have two kids, and one has none. That’s still makes 16 first cousins on my side. And, of course, one additional from Jen’s side. Go, Stella!

I am not sure why my kids love being with their cousins more than other kids they know. Maybe it’s the continuity. Maybe it’s the safety. Maybe it’s the logistics. Maybe I should ask them. And the coolest thing is that my siblings’ kids are having kids! Eight so far, and one in the oven! A girl, we hear.

Just as so many other clues exist for the end of an era, I suppose the children of my children will have much smaller sleepovers. We had so many at our final party in Eldersburg a week or so ago that we had to do the hot tub in two different shifts.

While more than a dozen kids at a sleepover might seem like parental-unit insanity, we’ve always enjoyed how much our kids are excited about it. It’s what they ask for when their birthdays are coming up. Or Christmas.  Is there a greater gift than family?

One of the many things we will miss about uprooting from a place we are so very content. My brother Mike says the cool thing about living far away is that, while you may miss family gatherings, when he does see family, it is usually for a week at a time.  I guess that’s a consolation.  Time will tell.