Brotherhood

So as you may have picked up yesterday, I am a big brother to a BIG and growing brood of children. At this point, I've seen what it means to be a big brother from almost every angle. The first time when it happened with Elizabeth, I was kind of clueless being I was an 18 month old. At this point I see it as having a fellow teen I can talk to about anything who'll always be there. When it happened with Josh, I was just beggining to understand what having a new addition was like. Now I realize it's a different concept from having little sisters because of being the same gender . When it happened with Gab, I realized how much I LOVED having babies in our house. At 7, I was the ultimate baby-sister lover who made up some silly nickname for my new baby sister every time  I saw her. Now I realize how much adoption can change your heart/ the way you, um Older-sibling-ify (I don't know of any word like parenting for older siblings) things. When it happened with Addisu, I saw more of what it meant to be a bigger influence/example/caretaker to a sibling. This time around when we go for Jenny, I'll be seeing what kind of culture change an adopted sibling can go through since I'll be traveling to Eastern Europe to pick Jenny up.

With the benefits of being an older sibling and learning so much, responsibilities come as well. Things like sitting in the back seat of your family's van to assist your youngest sister with the pain of two recently pulled teeth so your mom can drive safely, or watching your baby brother while your Mom goes to a doctor's appointment. Mom and Dad have both said that these things are majorly helpful. I couldn't help but think why that was. It didn't kill me to hang out with Gab for a slightly longer car ride or help out with Addisu a lot. The only thing that could come to me was that there isn't a lot of that going on in my generation. Teens REALLY don't like to do that kind of stuff just because it's helpful. It gets in the way of them doing, well, what we like to do. I'm not always very obliging to help out. Sometimes I'd like to do something other than play wii or jump on the trampoline with Addisu. But I see it as our duty to be great role models to the next generation so they can avoid some of the mistakes (drug addiction anyone?) that our generation has been manifested in. I know some of you may not necessarily have biological siblings, there is always some little guy or girl looking up to you. From the little kid that passes you in the mall to the kid at church who manages a quiet hello to you every Sunday. So my point? 1) If you have little siblings, treat them like gold. A good relationship with your sibs will be invaluable when you all grow up. And if you don't, be a good role model to the little kids all around you.

 What God has promised is for you, your children, and those far away (Acts 2:39)