I'm the oldest of 8 kids, including 5 foster siblings. There are pros and cons to my big family.

The author (not pictured) is the oldest of her eight siblings.

Florin Prunoiu/Getty Images/Image Source

• I'm the oldest of eight, including five foster siblings, and our house was always a busy place.
• There were pros and cons to having such a big family.
• I learned a scarcity mindset growing up, but there's so much love in my family.

I remember the stares most of all.

In the grocery store, people tried to make sense of my family — how these Black, Hispanic...