Sibling

There are few things that can affect your life as much as your siblings. Sometimes you are born already having one and, sometimes they come into your world while you are growing up. The later applies to me. Even though I was only four at the time I can remember how much my life changed once I got my little sister.

                I can’t remember when my parents told me I was going to have a younger sibling but, definitely remember being excited about it. I remember telling my aunt and uncle that soon I would have a baby brother or sister, as if they didn’t already know. I remember asking some of my friends, who already had siblings, what it was like to have one. For some reason, no one seemed as excited as me about this new development in life but looking back, I now see that it was a common occurrence. However, I was four and, I didn’t know better.

                In the months leading up to the birth of my sibling, I thought of all the new possibilities having one would entail. I would have a friend to play with when I wasn’t at school. I wouldn’t have to do stuff alone. Maybe my parents would be too busy with my sibling keep in timeout too. I never even considered there would be downsides to go along with a sibling as well.

                I can remember clearly the day my sister was born. My dad came into my room and woke me up in what I thought was the middle of the night; it was 9:00pm. We rushed to the car with my mom and drove to the hospital. I fell asleep on the way there. Once we arrived my parents both went away somewhere and, I was left with my grandma in the lobby to wait. I quickly fell back asleep. I can’t really remember much of the rest of the night but, I remember my dad waking me up in the morning and telling me that my mom would have to rest in the hospital a day or two so, I was to go home with grandma. I remember her taking me to her house and, when we got there she gave me Thomas the Tank Engine train set. I was stoked. Do kids always get presents on their siblings birthdays? I didn’t realize at the time she was just trying to make me happy because my parents had to pay attention to my sister.

                For the next several months it seemed as if everything in my life had changed. No longer was I the sole center of attention in the house. My parents were constantly paying attention to my little sister and, I felt hardly noticed. Even worse, my little sisters crib was put in my room so, she would constantly wake me up in the middle of the night. However, I eventually got used to it.

                The first year of having a sibling was an eye opening experience. I realized, for the first time, I wasn’t the only important thing in the world. In one quick event, my only child complex had been shattered. I began to see everything differently. I realized I had some responsibilities now to someone other than myself. It taught me to be a team player. Eventually I got used to having someone else around the house and after a year I couldn’t even remember what it was like to be an only child. However to this day, I still believe that having a sibling is one of the most important parts of growing up in life.