Friday, February 24, 2006

Siblings

All I've got is a photograph
And I realize you're not coming back...
"Photograph," Ringo Starr

Yesterday I heard this song on our local Liberty station ("We play anything!") for the first time in years and years. It's a pretty obscure tune now, but when my sister was a teenager, she had the 45 and she played it to scratchy ruin. So naturally it reminds me of my sister, who died at thirty-five. The lyrics quoted above make me think of her, too. Considering she was six and a half years older than I am, it's a bit startling to realize I'm now older than she ever was. In a weird way, I'm the older sister now.

Siblings are important, so I'm happy to see my own kids developing pretty close relationships. Naturally they fight, but they can also play very nicely for long blocks of time. Oldest Kid and Kid #2 play together a lot (both being girls, they play a lot of doll and My Little Pony games, along with Harry Potter, a book passion they share). Strangely, when they fight physically, it's OK who tends to get the worst of it-- Kid #2 has never been one to pull her punches. Kid #2 and Kid #3 play together a lot, although Kid #3 (the four-year-old boy) tends to annoy his sister with his slavish adoration... he virtually follows her around begging her to play with him. He'd do this every minute she was home if I didn't intervene and give her some peace. Kids #2 and 3 are also the most likely to hang out in the library reading together (OK prefers the privacy of her room). And OK dotes on the baby, who beams happily whenever he sees her and seems to regard her as a second mommy.

Anyway... siblings are important. I'll never forget my sister and all the support she gave me while I was growing up. I'm pleased that my kids get along pretty well, despite the fact that they're spread out over ten years, and I hope it continues!

1 comment:

  1. My brother died when he was 25 and I was 24. I remember that song, too--there's a whole bunch of them I can't listen to because I know I might cry if I do.

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