By Bekah Landers and Eli Bolus
Additional reporting by Danielle Rehor
Melisa Marksbury-Roe- Mother.
Bagpiper: How hard is it to raise a blended family of your kids and your husbands kids?
Melisa Marksbury-Roe: “It’s very challenging, as it is with several kids, four teenagers are very busy, but they are fantastic kids; it is a joy.”
BP: Is it hard having all four kids involved in an activity?
MMR: “Three youngest are in F.C. band, it has been fantastic because it is easy to get them everywhere and they are involved in such a great program.”
BP: How do you and your husband deal with all of the activity?
MMR: “My husband and I are involved in full time careers so we must be very organized.”
BP: What do they fight about most?
MMR: “Driving. We try to make it as fair as possible.”
BP: Did you or your husband grow up in a large family, or is this a new experience?
MMR: “We aren’t used to big families; my husband is an only child and I was the oldest of three.”
BP: What advice do you have to offer to students of big families trying to create their own character and reputation?
MMR: “When you go to school with siblings create your own history but look out for your siblings too. That’s what my children do, they look out for each other.”
Ryan Marksbury- Junior
Bagpiper: Is your reputation influenced by your siblings?
Ryan Marksbury: “[Being a junior,] not really. People don’t usually judge me by my siblings.”
BP: How are family dinners?
RM: “We all eat together every night at the table. Between the six of us we always have interesting conversations.”
BP: What are you all involved it?
RM: “Three of us are in band, marching band and pep band. Chelsea and I are both in orchestra. Music is a part of our lives; we all play instruments.”
BP: How is life with two step-siblings?
RM: “Life has gotten alot more involved, and sometimes exciting with the four of us we are never bored. Yes, we have our disagreements, but all the good times trump the bad ones.”
BP: Is it hard with so many siblings?
RM: “We get into arguments, but we do have a lot of good times too.”
Chelsea Roe- Sophomore
Bagpiper: In a house full of all boy siblings, how do you deal with being the only girl?
Chelsea Roe: “Since I’m the only girl, I have to put up with all of the stuff the guys want to do. I’m outnumbered. You just have to learn to get along and to like the stuff that they do. It isn’t too hard.”
BP: What is your favorite part about being a sibling with so many brothers?
CR: “I get to watch all the super hero movies with them.”
BP: How do you and your brothers relate to each other?
CR: “We all play different instruments and we all really relate through that.”