Q&A with the Kids - Part IV - Melanie

(NOTE: You always hear from me, so I thought it might be fun to hear from the kids for a change. Here's our latest Q&A With the Kids interview, this one with my bright 24-year-old daughter Melanie. I still think of her as "Little Mel" and probably always will, but she has turned out to be one highly impressive adult.)

What was the best thing about growing up in a big family?

The best thing about growing up in a big family was probably never feeling alone or isolated. I feel like I was rarely bored throughout my childhood because even if I didn't have someone to play with, I had five kids' worth of books, toys and electronics throughout the house. A bonus was that we had to have a big back yard and house. 

What things didn't you like about it?

I didn't like the pressure of being a "Tennant kid" sometimes. Growing up with three older siblings who were all super smart, super involved and just generally known to be good kids sometimes made me feel like I was held to a high standard that could be difficult to reach. Mom and Dad didn't put any unnecessary pressure on me or anything, but of course I wanted to be as successful as everyone else. There's also the obvious fact of five kids being a financial strain. Sometimes I was jealous of my friends who were an only child or only had one sibling, just because they always had the newest, nicest stuff. It's hard for a kid to be grateful for what they have in a situation like that.

What are your favorite memories of things we did as a family?

Mom always made holidays really special. Christmas memories in particular will always be my favorite. Other than that I'll just rapid fire the first things that come to my mind:

• Dad getting home from work. I have such clear memories of the six of us sitting at the dinner table and someone saying "Daddy's home!" and running to the door to greet him. That was back before we had the mud room and all that, too.
• Mom and Dad bought Jared mini hockey nets and sticks and those were a staple game to play in the living room for so many years.
• I always had so much fun every New Year's Eve. Mom wasn't the type to load us up with junk food, so NYE always felt like a feast. In particular I remember she always bought Hawaiian Punch and made us all pizza.
• I'll never forget when we all watched the Camp Rock premiere on Disney Channel together, or when we all watched High School Musical for the first time.
• Board Game Olympics
• Fires in the backyard, Mom making homemade ice cream, playing in the snow and sledding down the steps, all of us wrestling Dad (gonna cut it here or I could name a million things).

What is something you wish you could have done or had growing up, but you couldn't because you had four siblings?

I wouldn't say I would agree with this now whatsoever, but at the time, I just wished we had more money lol. Now that I'm an adult, I can see how much time and sacrifice Dad put into providing for us and how much Mom put into making ends meet with five kids. But when you're a kid, the only thing you can see is that your friends get to shop at Justice while you have to shop at Gabriel Brothers (or get hand-me-downs!) Or that you have to share a room with your sister while your best friend from school has always had her own room. I wish I could've known at the time that I had everything I actually needed and more.

Do you want kids of your own? Why or why not?

Yes I do, but not five. I would ideally like two. I guess I want kids for the same reasons everyone else does, but I am excited to make moments memorable and magical for them like Mom did for us.

What was your favorite thing Mom used to make for dinner? Do you ever make it for yourself?

My favorite things Mom made for dinner were her pizza and her beef stroganoff. I haven't been brave enough to attempt the pizza yet, but I've made beef stroganoff quite a few times.