Drifting Apart
I can remember a time when my
siblings and I got along. We used to go everywhere and do everything together.
My sister and I used to love playing dress up, and using our younger brother as
a life size Barbie doll. We would dress him up in ribbons and bows, lace and
pearls, and in every color under the sun. He loved the attention He flaunted
his new wardrobe to every person on our street. Back then, my siblings and I
listened to one another, and relied on each other for any and all predicaments
imaginable. Whether that meant we had to leave a friend’s house to go talk, or
just stay up late and help each other with homework.
I remember a time when my family and I went to a friend’s house, and my little brother didn’t know how to swim. So my sister and I tried for hours to teach him how. We kept telling him to kick. First right leg, then left leg, right, then left again. After he finally got that down we showed him the arm motions. We told him same as the leg motion: right arm, then left arm, then right, then left again. Again and again we went through this process but he didn’t seem to get it. Finally he decided to take off his floating vest and try swimming without it. As soon as our parents saw him, they freaked out. Everyone was screaming and yelling but just before my mom got to him. He started swimming! I couldn’t believe it, the only way he understood what to do meant taking off his only means of staying above water… He amazed me that day; and I realized then that every day after, both he and my sister would continue to amaze me.
I remember a time when my family and I went to a friend’s house, and my little brother didn’t know how to swim. So my sister and I tried for hours to teach him how. We kept telling him to kick. First right leg, then left leg, right, then left again. After he finally got that down we showed him the arm motions. We told him same as the leg motion: right arm, then left arm, then right, then left again. Again and again we went through this process but he didn’t seem to get it. Finally he decided to take off his floating vest and try swimming without it. As soon as our parents saw him, they freaked out. Everyone was screaming and yelling but just before my mom got to him. He started swimming! I couldn’t believe it, the only way he understood what to do meant taking off his only means of staying above water… He amazed me that day; and I realized then that every day after, both he and my sister would continue to amaze me.
As children, my
siblings and I remained inseparable. However as we grew older, we slowly began
drifting apart. I miss how well we played together. I miss our long talks and
spending time with them. We had so much fun then, going on adventures, fishing,
swimming, playing in the snow, teasing each other, singing and dancing to what
ever happened to play on the radio, and acting completely ridiculous together.
As a child you do care about what others may think, you just want to have fun.
So that’s exactly what we did. No matter the place or time, we loved being
together. On some occasions our parents would even join in on our mayhem. We
built towers, forts, bridges, and castles out of the pillows on the couches and
random blankets we found around the house. Then after we finished building them
we sat in them and read stories to each other or watched our favorite Disney
movies and ate popcorn.
Back then, things seemed much easier. Getting along seemed as thoughtless as breathing; it came so naturally. No forced smiles, no arguing, just pure happiness. Now, my siblings and I fight almost every day. The fights we have, now, seem pointless. It’s like we hardly know each other, we just have dinner together then go our separate ways. I have no idea what happened to us. Perhaps the change of schools, friends, houses, sports, clubs, and age differences that finally broke us apart. Although, there's not that much of an age difference between my siblings and I. We do the same sports, in clubs together, hang out with generally the same people, and we almost all go to one school together now... Savanna and I do volleyball, track, FCCLA, pep club, drama club, and go to High School together. Skyler and I do wrestling (I coach him in Arlee Little Guys Wrestling), he and I go hunting, fishing, ride bikes, and work out together.
Or maybe, just maybe, puberty is to blame for the lack of communication between us now. Somewhere through the transition from child to teenage we lost each other. I, the eldest child, take some of the responsibility for this loss. I went through puberty first, I lead them by my example. So in my chaotic transition, I showed them to be alone to figure things out. I now know, I should have gone about that a completely different way. Unfortunately, I can not change that now. I miss the connection my siblings and I used to have. I miss it more and more as I grow older, and I hope that one day we will get that connection back.
Back then, things seemed much easier. Getting along seemed as thoughtless as breathing; it came so naturally. No forced smiles, no arguing, just pure happiness. Now, my siblings and I fight almost every day. The fights we have, now, seem pointless. It’s like we hardly know each other, we just have dinner together then go our separate ways. I have no idea what happened to us. Perhaps the change of schools, friends, houses, sports, clubs, and age differences that finally broke us apart. Although, there's not that much of an age difference between my siblings and I. We do the same sports, in clubs together, hang out with generally the same people, and we almost all go to one school together now... Savanna and I do volleyball, track, FCCLA, pep club, drama club, and go to High School together. Skyler and I do wrestling (I coach him in Arlee Little Guys Wrestling), he and I go hunting, fishing, ride bikes, and work out together.
Or maybe, just maybe, puberty is to blame for the lack of communication between us now. Somewhere through the transition from child to teenage we lost each other. I, the eldest child, take some of the responsibility for this loss. I went through puberty first, I lead them by my example. So in my chaotic transition, I showed them to be alone to figure things out. I now know, I should have gone about that a completely different way. Unfortunately, I can not change that now. I miss the connection my siblings and I used to have. I miss it more and more as I grow older, and I hope that one day we will get that connection back.
