Born to a family of what would eventually be seven people, I've always had a lot of input and company around me. There's my mother, my father, my older brother, my younger brother, and my two younger sisters. We have what you could call a full house.
My siblings and I, like I'm sure all others with brothers or sisters have experienced, went from friendly to perhaps vicious at times, then eventually grew out of those skins and became more or less functional, if not kindly. We all assumed our places in the Hierarchy of Siblings- my youngest sister as the stupid baby; the next oldest sister an intelligent but complaining wanna-be-but-no-longer-baby; my younger brother wanting to be as cool as my older brother, hence shunning any relationship with his sisters in thinking it'd somehow get him there; me, trying and failing to live up to my brother and always falling back into his shadow; and finally, my older brother himself, Luis, the leader type-of-kid, which is appropriate, noting the birth order.
I have a distinct memory of when it was clear he was the alpha of the pack of us all. We were in a car riding home from Duluth- what we were doing in Duluth is lost to me- and we were watching Scooby Doo. What's funny about it is that I never noticed this until much later: my three younger siblings and I only laughed when our eldest brother did. If he chuckled, we all were quick to follow. If one of us laughed and he did not, it died out quickly. It doesn't sound like anything meaningful, I'm sure, but believe me when I say it was and it is, in such a sense.
On a more recent note, I can recall that a little before Luis left for college, I realized that I would soon be the oldest of my siblings left at home. It struck me powerfully at dinner one night, when I looked at my brother sitting at the head of our side of the table, seeing that the greatest power among us was going into my inheritance; a fine amount of responsibility began to weigh heavily on my shoulders, even though it wasn't even quite there yet.
Somewhere along the transition, I began putting on my brother's air of confidence and self-like. I became more persuasive, like he had been; perhaps edging on bossy at times. He made me strive for myself- not just academically (i believe there was actually a lesser influence in that area), but socially and between myself and my family, instead of the grating I usually felt there. Once envying my brother for such easy and laid back relations with everyone, I now often share that sort of relation with, at the very least, most of my siblings (most of the time). Luis is such a likable person, and I've grown to match him for the most part.
Two years later, this is now my last year living with my family full-time. I am now ready to leave my home and find a new one- I know I couldn't have said that truthfully and comfortably without Luis. He expanded my leadership in a core way I was not aware of; I don't believe even he knows his impact on me. My brother's and my blood is the same, and though my path is different from his, I certainly carry a part of him with me, wherever I may go.
We both wrote about big brothers and I think this helps show what an influence they can be. I can't imagine being the role model to a younger sibling. I'm always the one doing the looking-up-to (no, not because I'm short). You probably don't realize it, but I bet all of your younger siblings try to emulate you in some way. They probably don't tell you, like you don't tell Luis. Family dynamics are so complex, fascinating, and even twisted at times, but I can tell that Luis has had an impact on you. I liked that you mentioned the hierarchy, because there is so much truth to it, especially in larger families. It was really emphasized in the Duluth memory, and I think it's important that you put in that story. I think it is interesting that your essay was solely about your siblings, and didn't include your parents. Siblings are a community in themselves.
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