The Fayette Citizen-Weekend Page
Wednesday, August 2, 2000
Gentlemen, start your cards, it is Sibling Day

Note: This idea is not as half-baked as some ideas I have shared in this column. If this catches on, remember, you heard it here first and this column is copyrighted.

There is Mother's Day, Father's Day, and Grandparent's Day. Where, may I ask, is Sibling's Day? If we are going to honor all of those who have direct bloodlines to us, should we not celebrate those that are closest to us in genetics and age ?

Since formulating this idea recently, I have heard all sorts of fumbles and clutches at excuses. “Birthdays are Sibling's days” or “That's what Christmas is for.” People who have heard my idea seem to think that it is a creative way for me to get more gifts, but it is the exact opposite.

I love my sibling.

My sister, Katie, is five years younger than me, but we are still very close. Our childhood was filled with many games and lots of laughter. We would slide down the stairs in pillowcases and cram ourselves into tight spaces for a seemingly never-ending game of hide and seek. We watched each other's achievements with a sense of awe and pride and helped each other through whatever tough times came our way.

There was a time when we were not close.

I was attending college upstate and she was down here, having problems in high school. I had to fulfill my brotherly duties over vacations and not spending time together, after spending a lot of time together, felt odd. It was a sensation of possibly growing apart. After college, I moved back home and took a job here.

Now I am 25 and she is 20. I will be moving out of the house soon, but I think that this time, things will be OK. For one, she can drive and visit whenever she wants to. And, secondly, I've lived in the bedroom next to hers and shared a bathroom with her for two years. Enough is enough.

I know that our relationship is as close as ever because she gave me her wrist band to the free Limp Bizkit concert last week, after staying up all night and waiting in line to get it. I still do nice things for her too, like lend a little money here or there, tape episodes of her favorite programs when she's out, and generally just try to hang out with her when I can.

She is a good person and I know that I have contributed to that, and vice versa, just by being around and setting an example.

There will come a time when your sibling will not be a part of your everyday life and you'll feel incomplete and you won't know exactly why at first. It is because your sibling isn't there to keep you in check and on your toes.

So, love your siblings. Write to your congressman, send them this column, and try to start up a Sibling Day. It should be a day for brothers and sisters to get together, spend a little time reminiscing, maybe get a gift that reminds you of the other and just have a good time.

You can still give out wedgies and tease them unmercifully, just not on Sibling Day.

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