When I was around twelve years old, things began to shift in my life, and there’s an old VHS home movie to prove it
It was my first Christmas as a “big kid.” My first Christmas without cool toys. My first Christmas without the excitement. In the video, you see me, wearing my cool, over-sized, puff painted sweatshirt (a la the “80s”), sitting dejectedly on my Grandma’s couch. I’m apathetically watching all of the little kids as they excitedly tear through candy-cane wrapping paper to find the toys that “Santa” had brought them.
It was a sad Christmas.
My poor little nephew, Isaak, a mere seven years old, has been experiencing something akin to what I went through nearly twenty years ago. And, it’s just as sad.
For six and a half years, my nephew was the “One and Only” in our family. He was the only grandchild, the only boy in a household of curly-haired and freckled girls, and he was spoiled. Every trinket purchased was for him — every silly little song sung was for him. He was a little Prince.
Now, however, he has competition. Two little kids have joined the mix: my Little Lady and Isaak’s new brother, Asher. Two new babies in a household that ADORES babies. (Seriously, everyone that knows us KNOWS that we are the craziest bunch of baby lovers ever) Isaak is singing the “I Get No Attention” blues.
Imagine everything your kid has ever done, trying to be the center of attention, and Isaak has done it this week. Poor kid. It’s hard growing up.
I’ve tried to do some “just us” things with him during our visit. We’ve watched movies; he’s “helped” me with some blog design; and we watched the election, where Isaak was routing for Obama . . . another, as he put it, “brown guy like me.”
Isaak, I’m sorry this is such a hard year of transition for you, going from “Only” to “Oldest.” We’ll work on making sure the babies know you’re the coolest big brother/cousin the word’s ever known.
