Siblings…

It is National Siblings Day today… I have been blessed with 2 younger brothers.  They were a pain in my butt as well as knowingI can count on them.  My boys have a ridiculous amount of siblings.  They fight all the time.  There seems to be 2 that are at odds, the combination changes constantly.  I often wonder why I thought having a big family would be cool?  Ignorance.  Lol  I guess I thought they’d be buddies.  All of them.  Stupid, yes I know.  I was very naïve.  As they are growing, the fights that are physical are ones I think I prefer because they beat each up and then they move on.  The ones that are verbal can be so ugly.  You know, only your siblings know how to hit you way below they belt.  They know just where to hurt you.

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Over the years, most of my boys have had to deal with racism.  Some of it based on ignorance and sadly other times based on just being mean.  It’s par for the course raising our family in Peterborough.  Over time, we have taught our boys that most people that spew ugly things about ones race are people you should really feels sad for.  Also when people do this they usually are insecure about a lot of things… the big one being about themselves.

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I remember Sammy being in Kindergarten and coming home hating that he was brown.  He hated being different.  Tyler in Kindergarten wished he was green.    I remember being appalled that here we were, the next year dealing with skin colour again… only to find out that Tyler wished he was green because his favorite colour was green.  Jordan didn’t really deal with it in elementary school, that I can recall.  He hit a kid that was agitating him.  (Again… being younger, you have to learn to defend your self).  Max… he has always been an easy going kid.  He’s become much more intense as he’s growing up and it’s all good.  Then there’s Zachary…who’s also been dealing with it over  a period of time.  This week again.  Now Zach shoved the kid first.  So… despite the other stuff, at home, we held him accountable.  The strangest thing happened…

As I am chatting with Zach about getting physical, despite what happened before or after…this child of mine who is usually the number one target of his brothers, had ALL his brothers pouncing on me verbally about not getting Zach in trouble.  There is nothing that bonds these boys then holding their race against them.

Sigh.  I’d like to have at anyone that messes with my babes.  Yet yesterday and today, I have been so proud of them… to stand up for their sibling.  The brothers all had lots of advice  on how to take care of business… all which I had to quietly remind Zach that none of the actions his brothers were suggesting were appropriate.

It’s siblings day… and I am grateful for my boys and that they have each other to have, hold and beat up.

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