Thinking about my grandparents’ house in North Casper always makes me smile. It wasn’t a large place, but it did have a big back bedroom where all the kids once slept. With nine children, they needed plenty of space, though the rest of the house was actually quite small. Whenever I hear the song “Little Houses” by Doug Stone, I’m reminded of their home. Back when most of the kids still lived there, it was nearly impossible to pass each other in the hallway without bumping shoulders. They had to learn to get along and work together—there was simply no other choice.
Sure, there were the usual fights. I grew up with five sisters, so I know all about that, but there was always a sense of closeness too. It’s the comfort of knowing your siblings will love you no matter what… even when you’re being annoying. Let’s be honest, no one escapes that awkward adolescent phase, and we’ve all been through it. Still, there’s something about squeezing into a house just a bit too small for the family that builds a kind of camaraderie you don’t get when you live in a place so big you can barely tell you have siblings at all.
In big families, the older kids may be grown and even married, yet new little ones keep arriving, so there’s never a time without the pitter-patter of tiny feet and the sweet giggles of babies. Life is never dull. For the older siblings, nothing is more thrilling than holding a new baby. Sometimes you wonder if that baby will ever learn to walk, since they’re always in someone’s arms. Still, those same siblings who love cuddling the babies are often the ones happily guiding them from babyhood into the adventurous world of toddlerhood.
Once all the siblings had joined the family, the nieces and nephews started arriving, bringing 
more babies to hold, teach, and babysit. In a little house, love seemed to be everywhere. I remember visiting Grandma and Grandpa’s place, and as one of the nieces, I could feel the love radiating from every wall of that old home. They always made us feel like we were their own children, and the house was always warm and cozy. Yes…love truly does grow best in little houses.
