90: Being the Big Brother

Big here means the oldest (brother or sister in a family).

Most people would think being the big brother is good. He is supported and respected by all brothers and sisters. He can also ask them to do things for him, like giving instructions to them and they will do it for you. It is because the brothers and sisters would somehow respectful to their brothers and sisters as they think their knowledge, experience and horizon are all better than theirs. Yes, it’s true, for some cases.

Some will rely on their big brother on solving problems and leave their independent thinking behind. If the problem can be solved, they just think it is a must and no even say a word of thanks. Even worse, if it fails, they will blame their brother for failure to help the little.

A big brother would also bear more responsibility to the family. Brother’s and sister’s school fees, books expenses, pocket money are somehow related to them. When going shopping together with brothers and sisters, the payer is normally the big one.

But being a big brother does not only have the above grey things. When you are very busy and your brother has sincerely or voluntarily done something for you, you will definitely feel happy. When you ask him to do something and he can make them done in an out-of-expectation way, you will feel even more satisfied.

I think the most difficult thing a big brother ask his brother to do is to study hard. Laziness in studies cannot be solved overnight. Only with continuous, patient and moderate-to-high supervision and guidance may it be improved. This kind of worry is really a difficult task to handle. After doing our part, we can only hope he can wake up one day, hopefully not too late.