My Blood

Erica E. Goode once said, ~Sibling relationships - and 80 percent of Americans have at least one - outlast marriage, survive the death of parents, resurface after quarrels that would sink any friendship,. They flourish in a thousand incarnations of closeness and distance, warmth, loyalty, and distrust.~ Let me ask you this question to those who have a sibling or a number of siblings, how close are you to him, her, and/or them? Essentially, the dichotomy of the relationship involving brothers and sisters can most definitely not only be considered interesting, but oftentimes complex as well. For it's a humorous situation indeed at times to stand back and simply observe the interaction between siblings whether they be an all male, all female, or a mixture of both to where it's to say the least an absolute learning experience.

As I said before, the sibling relationship is not only considered interesting but complex as well. How so you may be asking yourself? You see, siblings as they often do go through their fair share of physical and verbal altercations to the point where he, she, or they had to be separated from each other in order to cool off. It's during the swinging fists, tackles, wrestling takedowns, pulling of hair on the ground, etc. that verbal insults are thrown at one another in the heat of the moment causing both to become angry and quite possibly emotionally hurt at the same time. Hey, that's what brothers and sisters do as siblings certainly get on each other's nerves. Yet, it's our siblings we physically fight and verbally insult that we instantly come to their defense because you're the only one who is allowed to call him/her/them names, as well as fight with not other individuals attempting to do so.

Without a doubt, there can be strong connections when it pertains to the ties that bind us to our siblings. Unfortunately, for a certain number of people there hasn't been or no longer is a strong connection between a particular brother or sister to where words have not been spoken to each other for quite some time. In addition, you may have to not have seen him, her, or them either causing an estranged sibling relationship. Words exchanged, specific action in the past deemed unforgivable, or whatever the case may be are examples may be a reason for the rift that once established an inseparable bond growing up in the past. So, do any of you have a brother or sister you haven't talked to/seen in a while because of something that happened in the past? If so, are you willing to make the first move to make contact in order to have a relationship once again?

Personally speaking, the relationship between my brother and I is considered close. He is 3 years younger than I am but he is taller so it even out in the whole scheme of things. Granted, we've had our fair share of physical fights when we were younger but now that we're older and in our 30's we just verbally insult each other to no end. I'm proud of him for the man, the husband, and father he's become to the point where I hope to be in the position he is one day when it comes to having a family of my own someday. Thinking about it, my mom gave me the following words of wisdom that I'll share with you which are: ~No matter where you are or the distance that separates the two of us, always keep in contact with each other. You two will always be brothers and that's never going to change.~ It's a piece of valuable advice that I will keep in my mind and heart forever.

In retrospect, there is always going to be that love/dislike/hate relationship between siblings. The younger siblings will seemingly get away with anything if they are in trouble but they should always listen to their older counterparts. They are truly looking out for you even if it doesn't seem like it. To the middle child/children of the family who have developed a Peter and Jan Bray inferiority complex, I'm just going to say your siblings for the most part care about you too. What it comes down to is showing it in their own strange and unique way. Finally, to those kids who were an only child. Well, nobody cares about you because you turned out to be spoiled brats. Just kidding. In the end, you know you can be proud of your siblings when you talk about them with a smile on your face to other people saying to him/her/them that's my best friend, my partner in crime, my familia; but most of all...my blood.