If you are
an “only child” you’ll probably not really understand what I’m going to talk
about here in this blog post. But, this
post is about siblings --- your brothers and/or sisters.
I can
remember growing up: When I was small I
had two older sisters. I was the first
boy. Those two really “babied” me for a
long time. In particular I remember when
my Mama was trying to get me off the bottle.
I had one of those pacifiers, but I really didn’t like it very
much. So when Mama wasn’t around my
sisters would “sneak” me a bottle of milk and then try to make sure I finished
it quickly so they wouldn’t get caught.
They did this for my brother later on too. I really can’t remember if they got caught or
if my Mom threw the bottles away, but at some pint I no longer got my milk
visits.
When I was
almost seven years old my life got a “punch in the gut.” I had grown pretty comfortable with being the
“baby” in the family and getting all the “special” treatment and
attention. But then my brother was
born. Now HE got all the attention!
And from that moment forward my sisters and I knew HE was Mamas favorite.
Of course, being young I didn’t understand anything about a woman having
a baby “later in life” and how they were affected by such an event. But I did know that my “rule” as “baby”
in the family had come to a sudden stop!
Even my sisters seemed to abandon me because they were more interested
in helping with the NEW addition to
our family. They were fourteen and twelve
respectively and that type of thing was more interesting to them instead of
wanting to play “cowboys and Indians” with me.
For awhile I almost felt that I was an “only child”! But I knew that wasn’t true.
Of course
things began to advance as we all got older and we got motivated and fascinated
by different aspects of education, our goals, and our inter-reactions with OTHER
people. My sisters were into “girl”
things and being interested in boys. We
didn’t have very many things in common. Even
when we would go on our family vacations they RARELY wanted their “little” brother hanging around with them. And I REALLY
didn’t want my “little” brother hanging around with me and my friends. But, of course, that’s what he always
wanted to do! And Mama was constantly
telling me: “Take your brother with you.
Just make sure he’s okay.”
We also
had our “moments” as all siblings do! I
remember one occasion in particular after my sister, Shirley, had gotten a new
pair of glasses. She had been strictly
told she had better take care of those glasses because of what they cost. I don’t remember what the cost was and maybe
I never knew; however, it was stressed that they were expensive!
We were
all on the front porch of our house which was across the street from the High
School when I decided we should wrestle like they did on the television program
“Live Atlanta Wrestling.” My sisters
didn’t want to because that was a crazy “boy” thing and they had NO interest in it at all! But I continued to “slap” at my sister
Shirley trying to provoke her into a wrestling match. After a few futile attempts, I slapped a
little too close to her face and knocked the new glasses off. As they fell to the porch, in a slow-motion,
eternity time-frame as I picture it today, I could see that this was not going
to end very well! And I was right! The glasses hit the porch and shattered into
many pieces and my heart got this strange sinking feeling. My sister Shirley just stood motionless for a
few minutes starring at me in utter disbelief.
Then in a move that would have made the wrestling profession proud she
grabbed me in a head lock, turned me around a couple of times, and rammed my
head into the wall of the house. I didn’t pass-out, but I fell to my butt and
sat there fairly dizzy for several minutes.
When I “came to my senses” my Mom was standing over me scolding me to no
end! My sister got here new pair of glasses
that she liked better than the first ones and I got “the privilege” of paying
for them out of my allowance for the next S-E-V-E-R-A-L
months!
There were
other times like that, but there were many more “good” times that I also remember. And when my sisters got married and moved out
of the house, I missed them. Then, in
time, it was my turn to leave after High School and my “little” brother became
the “only child” who remained in the house.
After that
event we all seemed to grow apart and become more involved in our own
activities of life, our own employment careers, and our own families. Now that many years have passed and so has my
sister Shirley, I often think of my remaining siblings. When you become adults you put away the
childish things and even those “awful” times you remember with great
fondness. You tend to think back more on
the happier times: the times when you travelled together on those trips for
vacations, when you realize that there really isn’t a sibling handbook
available to help you with those awkward or embarrassing times. But you do realize that it was ALL of those experiences that have
brought you and your siblings to the point in time where you now exist. And although it’s probably not said as often
as it should have been, you know in your heart that those brothers and those
sisters --- your siblings --- love you just as much as you love them. And THAT
is what has made it all work out for the best!
QUOTE TO CONSIDER
THOUGHTFUL GEM
"You can never go wrong
by doing the LOVING thing."
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