Growing Up as One of Nine
Growing Up as One of Nine
Christine was the youngest of nine children, growing up in a house the family jokingly called "the mad house". It was noisy, chaotic and sometimes difficult - but also filled with laughter, loyalty and love.
In this intimate family film, Christine opens boxes of old photographs, handwritten letters and recordings, revisiting the people, relationships and memories that shaped her childhood.
Christine was the youngest of nine children, growing up in a house the family jokingly called "the mad house".
It was noisy, chaotic and sometimes difficult - but also filled with laughter, loyalty and love.
In this intimate family film, Christine opens boxes of old photographs, handwritten letters and recordings, revisiting the people, relationships and memories that shaped her childhood.
Filmmaker’s note
What drew me to Christine’s story was not simply that she grew up as one of nine children. It was the way an entire family seemed to be waiting inside a few boxes of photographs, letters and old recordings.
As Christine looked through them, the official version of family life quickly gave way to something much more characterful. Her Sergeant Major father making all nine children march around the house. Her mother arriving as a housekeeper and, in Christine’s words, becoming a “housekeeper with benefits”. The noise, difficulty, loyalty and laughter all sat alongside one another.
The film made me think about how little a family photograph explains on its own. It can preserve the faces, clothes and furniture, but not the jokes, arguments or relationships outside the frame. Those survive in the people who remember them, and disappear if nobody asks.
Film details
Title: They Called It “The Mad House”. We Called It Home.
Location: England
Year: 2026
Filmmaker: Celia Peterson
Themes: Large families, childhood memories, siblings, family photographs, parents, family history
Running time: 8 minutes 37 seconds
Filmmaker’s note
What drew me to Christine’s story was not simply that she grew up as one of nine children. It was the way an entire family seemed to be waiting inside a few boxes of photographs, letters and old recordings.
As Christine looked through them, the official version of family life quickly gave way to something much more characterful. Her Sergeant Major father making all nine children march around the house. Her mother arriving as a housekeeper and, in Christine’s words, becoming a “housekeeper with benefits”. The noise, difficulty, loyalty and laughter all sat alongside one another.
The film made me think about how little a family photograph explains on its own. It can preserve the faces, clothes and furniture, but not the jokes, arguments or relationships outside the frame. Those survive in the people who remember them, and disappear if nobody asks.
Film details
Title: They Called It “The Mad House”. We Called It Home.
Location: England
Year: 2026
Filmmaker: Celia Peterson
Themes: Large families, childhood memories, siblings, family photographs, parents, family history
Running time: 8 minutes 37 seconds
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