Childhood / Brothers

I am the youngest of three. My brother is the eldest. My sister is next.

I remember quite well what brothers are like, especially as I hear my own son tease his sister. He is quite good at it. He knows just what to say to irk her, and he does it well.

For example, tonight after they went to bed, David told Allyssa that he took the collar off of her stuffed dog, Cork. The story went on from there, and whatever it was it made her cry. She cried for a while, calling my name, so I went on upstairs to see what was the matter, all the while knowing that the reason was quite ridiculous. I asked Allyssa why she was crying, "David took the collar off Cork, and..."
"Did he really take the collar off your dog?"
"He said he did." She sniffed.
"Not really," David mumbled.
"He didn't. Even if he did, it is nothing to cry over. That is enough. Go to sleep."
Allyssa sniffs, and wipes her face. Drama over.

I totally understand why David did what he did. Of course he would tell a story to irk her. That is what brothers do.

What I don't understand is why she cares.

I honestly can only remember getting in trouble once as a kid. I can remember a couple of times crying because my hair was caught in another motor off of something that my brother stuck in my hair. I remember caring what my brother said, but I don't remember being so dramatic.

Not that I wasn't a dramatic kid, but I remember a different type of drama.

I remember the police coming to our house one day when I was about 7. I had been playing outside, and the neighbor who had one daughter, a quiet daughter, wasn't used to such loudness. She thought certainly something was amiss. She'd called the police because something was obviously terribly wrong at our house. Someone must be injured or dying. Nope. I was just playing.
I remember also, when I was about 10, walking with my friends outside after lunch. I was walking behind one girl in my class who accidentally stepped off the sidewalk onto the grass, it was a bit of a step down, and she stumbled a tiny bit. She just stepped back onto the sidewalk and continued walking and her conversation. I gasped. Everyone turned and asked me what had happened, expecting it to be something interesting. I remember turning quite red and telling them that our friend had just stepped off the sidewalk. Oh, I was so embarrassed. I tried hard to not react as much after that.

As an adult it is hard to remember what it is like being almost 6. Everything is a big deal.

Brothers will be brothers though.

For the most part, they are best friends. They play together and miss each other when they are not together.

It is great having siblings.