Little Brothers

Dear Emily,

I know gaining another little brother wasn't what you had hoped for when I told you I was pregnant, but these last few weeks watching you with Jack you would never know that. You are so sweet and caring with him. In fact, you are such a good big sister with both of your brothers despite Troy's best efforts to bug you. Here's the thing though, they won't always be this easy to love. Yes, Troy can torment you relentlessly sometimes, but in the end you know he adores you and he still does everything you say. And Jack is too little to be a bug, oh but sweetie just you wait. I have been in your shoes. I too am a big sister to two younger brothers and so I thought I would give you a little advice....

They will SAY that they want to play the games you have come up with, (school, store, library,..) but they will probably just laugh and fool around after you have spent a whole afternoon setting up things to play with them. And they definitely won't do the page of math homework you assigned them to do.

There will be times when they have a "no girls allowed" club, but just know that you are always allowed in my club.

They will destroy your stuff, hopefully more out of curiosity than to be mean but it happens. Your doll's hair might get cut, your Barbie convertible crashed, and your dollhouse burned down. And yes, that last one was out of curiosity.

They might throw their dirty socks at you, but throwing your dinner plate back at them is not the answer. It only makes them laugh more.

They will laugh, and poke and pick at you. "Trying to get your goat," is what Grandma always told me. And so I will tell you what she told me to stop it. Just ignore them. It isn't easy but it usually does work.

The day one of them takes your car and drives it around the school parking lot (at 14) you let us know. Mom and Dad will handle that one.

 And while little brothers have the market cornered on bugging their sisters, they can be pretty great to have around too. You see as much as they act like they don't like you, they do. They have to. You are family, and when it comes down to it family takes care of each other. Your brothers will adore you even when they don't show it, and just know that they do eventually grow up and stop trying to get your goat. Kind of.