I’m from a family of five siblings. Sort of. I’m the youngest. First, my parents had my brother, who is six years older. Three years later, they adopted my sister from Thailand. And then I came along by ’accident.’
When my parents got divorced, my father married my best friend’s mother. So my childhood friend became my stepbrother, and his older brother also became my stepbrother.
Being the youngest is perfect. Very classic. Especially when I look at the three of us who are the more true siblings.
My older brother is proper, organized, and responsible; he’s always the one in charge of things. My sister is empathetic, social, and unifying. We grew up in Hvide Sande. My father and mother moved out there with a romantic notion of living by the beautiful west coast. It’s a place where even in the second generation, people are still immigrants, so we always felt a bit out of place. My sister was clearly the most streetwise and knew the local environment. Both my brother and sister are the most correct. They started families early, and today, their children are grown.
I’m the creative one and have just recently had a daughter. I’ve had more freedom compared to my siblings. I think I’ve actively behaved differently, especially from my older brother. Because I didn’t want to try to be like him. He would always win because he is better at being himself.
A close connection
I see my siblings fairly often. When I was younger, I mostly saw my sister. Today, I often see my brother because he lives nearby, and his family is wonderfully involved with my little family.
Maybe I’m overanalyzing, but I think my brother and I grew closer as our father aged and was no longer the super dad who could do everything. We had to take on more responsibility. And we did it together.
When my parents divorced, my two older siblings were old enough to choose who they wanted to live with. They chose my father. I was too young to have an opinion, so I went with my mother. My siblings and I lived apart from when I was in 3rd grade until three years later. In 7th grade, I was allowed to move back to my father. But by then, my brother had moved out, so I’ve only lived with both my siblings when I was very young.
Nevertheless, our connection has always been fairly tight. In relation to my sister, it’s clearly thanks to her. She’s very much a people’s person and much better than I am at reaching out. My father, who is now deceased, was almost a joke. He only called about practical matters. My brother and I aren’t as bad, but we have some of that.
My siblings are part of the very small group in my life who would be there for me if everything fell apart. I probably wouldn’t call unless I really needed to, but they would come if I asked. Overall, my siblings are pretty awesome and very good people.
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