Brother's Mine
Growing up as the only sister to three brothers has been both a blessing and a curse. One day I felt like “the rose among the thorns” but other times I was that lonely “little petunia in an onion patch.” The first twelve years of my life were torture; my “big brothers” were mean! I have a few memories of happy fun times shared with them both, but I have loads of memories of their meanness and their relentless teasing. Funny thing is I also recall that most of these horrid tricks they played on me were when my parents were out. My older brothers were not nice baby sitters! I looked forward to the day they would both finish high school and head off into the big wide world and I would get to have the house and my parents to myself! But then my baby brother came along and spoilt all my plans!
Being the only sister to three brothers, especially with the age gaps as they are, was sometimes very lonely. My older brothers had each other for company all the time and I was often left alone with no one to talk to. I have no idea what it’s like to have a sibling close to my age with whom to share the experiences of growing up. I didn’t to talk to my older brothers because they would not have taken me seriously and Baby brother was well, a baby. Of course there was no way I was going to speak to my parents! So I spent many hours and days alone. I guess it was then that I learnt to enjoy my own company and filled the hours with writing, listen to music and reading.
My experiences growing up as the only sister to three brothers, I am sure, has scarred me for life!
I know exactly what they would say right now: Big brother would say he was teaching me life skills; of course he would use more elaborate English to get his point across. Middle brother would laugh look and Big brother and say; “Hey remember when we told Manth...” and Baby brother would look horrified and tell me he was the best thing that happened to me.
Yeah, yeah, whatever boys! But just think about it for one minute wont you, I mean I must bear deep psychological scars from being your only sister. I mean look at me I’m on the wrong side of thirty and still going on about my tortured and teased childhood! It was unforgettable!
Thank God for that! Imagine growing up not remembering much about those short free spirited childhood years! How empty my life would be now. I am able to look back at some incredible memories and having a good old fashioned belly laugh! Like the time Big brother gave me a black felt tip pen and a coin and told me to draw circles with the pen around the coin then roll the coin down my face. I had black lines all over my face! It took forever to get the ink off. I was devastated; my brothers thought it was knee slapping funny. Or discovering I’d been left alone on the roof of the “servant’s quarters” because Big brother, who had been flying his kite from there, had run out of roof and fallen off. Everyone was so concerned about him no one thought about poor little me stuck up there scared and alone. Oh the trauma! Of course there were the litres and litres of coffee I was charged with making for them. To this day if we are together one of them is bound to say: “You making coffee Manth?” I recall in the days before I started school waking Big brother up instead of my parents on Saturday mornings and playing with him while everyone slept in. I remember Middle brother always ready with a hug or smacking some poor fool who bullied me. I remember reading Little brother Bedtime stories and teaching him silly little songs in the bath. I remember receiving letters from Big brother and Middle brother on my thirteenth birthday. They were both in the army at the time so having them both remember made me really happy! Of course in reality I’m sure my mum found some way to remind them, but I don’t care if she did because the day I turned thirteen I got letters in the post from my brothers and they had both remembered my birthday! That was just plain cool and now a treasured memory!
The four of us had the same upbringing, the same parents almost all the same influences yet you will not find four more different siblings. We all have our own opinions and views and none of us are afraid to make those opinions known, yet we seem to seldom disagree. We have each made choices that took us along different “paths’ in life and have phenomenally different careers. We live in four different countries on three different continents yet you can put us in the same room and it’ll be like we just saw each other yesterday.
Would I change the circumstances of my birth if I could? What, and take away from my three brother’s mine the privilege of having me as a sister? Not on your life.
Being the only sister to three brothers, especially with the age gaps as they are, was sometimes very lonely. My older brothers had each other for company all the time and I was often left alone with no one to talk to. I have no idea what it’s like to have a sibling close to my age with whom to share the experiences of growing up. I didn’t to talk to my older brothers because they would not have taken me seriously and Baby brother was well, a baby. Of course there was no way I was going to speak to my parents! So I spent many hours and days alone. I guess it was then that I learnt to enjoy my own company and filled the hours with writing, listen to music and reading.
My experiences growing up as the only sister to three brothers, I am sure, has scarred me for life!
I know exactly what they would say right now: Big brother would say he was teaching me life skills; of course he would use more elaborate English to get his point across. Middle brother would laugh look and Big brother and say; “Hey remember when we told Manth...” and Baby brother would look horrified and tell me he was the best thing that happened to me.
Yeah, yeah, whatever boys! But just think about it for one minute wont you, I mean I must bear deep psychological scars from being your only sister. I mean look at me I’m on the wrong side of thirty and still going on about my tortured and teased childhood! It was unforgettable!
Thank God for that! Imagine growing up not remembering much about those short free spirited childhood years! How empty my life would be now. I am able to look back at some incredible memories and having a good old fashioned belly laugh! Like the time Big brother gave me a black felt tip pen and a coin and told me to draw circles with the pen around the coin then roll the coin down my face. I had black lines all over my face! It took forever to get the ink off. I was devastated; my brothers thought it was knee slapping funny. Or discovering I’d been left alone on the roof of the “servant’s quarters” because Big brother, who had been flying his kite from there, had run out of roof and fallen off. Everyone was so concerned about him no one thought about poor little me stuck up there scared and alone. Oh the trauma! Of course there were the litres and litres of coffee I was charged with making for them. To this day if we are together one of them is bound to say: “You making coffee Manth?” I recall in the days before I started school waking Big brother up instead of my parents on Saturday mornings and playing with him while everyone slept in. I remember Middle brother always ready with a hug or smacking some poor fool who bullied me. I remember reading Little brother Bedtime stories and teaching him silly little songs in the bath. I remember receiving letters from Big brother and Middle brother on my thirteenth birthday. They were both in the army at the time so having them both remember made me really happy! Of course in reality I’m sure my mum found some way to remind them, but I don’t care if she did because the day I turned thirteen I got letters in the post from my brothers and they had both remembered my birthday! That was just plain cool and now a treasured memory!
The four of us had the same upbringing, the same parents almost all the same influences yet you will not find four more different siblings. We all have our own opinions and views and none of us are afraid to make those opinions known, yet we seem to seldom disagree. We have each made choices that took us along different “paths’ in life and have phenomenally different careers. We live in four different countries on three different continents yet you can put us in the same room and it’ll be like we just saw each other yesterday.
Would I change the circumstances of my birth if I could? What, and take away from my three brother’s mine the privilege of having me as a sister? Not on your life.
Hehee I have 2 brothers so I TOTALLY understand where you are coming from... but I am the eldest, my other boetjie is 2.5 years younger and my baby boet is 6 years younger. Growing up I longed for a sister but now I would not trade them for all the tea in China...there is something so special about brothers! x
ReplyDeleteLove this post made me remember my childhood with my brothers :-)
Hahaha. My only sister would probably agree a lot with you. :-)
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