Re: Nope, not really surprised . . .
I noticed it in the military.
Growing up, the family was huge. There were about 80 of us spread across lil' ol' Franklin County.
I joined up, got married, had kids, dragged them around the world for a while, then came back to lil' ol' Franklin County. The extended family is now about 200 strong, and we're all having a blast. I missed them a lot while I was away, and can't seem to get enough of them now.
I came home with kids bound for high school, and I think they've all come along just fine. they didn't have the experience of growing up with the big family input, but they're getting a patient earful now.
When I actually sit down and think about it, life has been fun,
Dan