I live for the days when my youngest brother Seth asks me to sleep in my bed because of a bad dream. When my thirteen year old brother Andrew wants to join me on my Starbucks run (and even pay for my coffee!!), or when my brother Jacob, only two years younger than me, complains about my out of state college choices. My brothers are 100% my best friends in the entire world, and I am not ashamed to brag about it.
I find family dynamics and the relationships between different sets of siblings extremely fascinating. The role of a sibling in families drastically differs between eldest, middle and youngest children. Some teenagers don’t know how to change a diaper or don’t understand the serious fights over who’s turn it was to sleep at Grandma’s because their siblings were already off at college. Simple things like birth order and ages between siblings completely changes a family’s dynamic.
My family begins with a perfect daughter, whose glory days as the only child lasted a short two years. Only child life was quickly interrupted by my first brother Jacob, and I assumed my role as big sister (or boss as I like to call it). While I complain about my only child days only lasting so long, Jacob got it even worse. Eighteen months into life and a new boy in the house was not his idea of fun. I welcomed Andrew into my growing army of loyal little brothers, and soon enough Jacob stopped pretending he didn’t exist.
After so many laughs and fights and nine years of being the Hooks Family "Fab Four," I am getting closer to leaving them. The idea of not having someone to yell at or snuggle with really scares me. I have been mothering my brothers from the bright bold age of two years old. I'm afraid to leave them to fend for themselves, but I'm also confident that they will learn to lean on each other even more.
We all have crazy memories with our siblings and not all of our relationships will be the same. I take them for granted so often, but a quick break in the chaos of the day to remember why you love those crazy people who share your last name may remind you that it is possible for your brothers to be your best friends.
