Brothers

I actually don't have multiple brothers, just the one.  Today, in honor of that little rascal's birthday, I'd like to say a few words on the subject.

My brother Tedson is six years younger than I am, four years younger than my sister, Nichola.  He was, and in many ways is, my baby brother.  He was our dolly, he was our scapegoat, and for a while, he was our tag-along.  Then he started to grew up and became a nuisance, albeit it an occasionally hilarious one.  And then we all grew up and we got to be just regular pals who like to hang out together, say bad words, drink a little, and laugh at (uh, I mean WITH) our parents. 

We all had our own roles in the family.  As just about everyone knows, I was the serious one, the bossy one, the occasional Princess, the protector and the worrier.  My sister Nic was the fun one, she is a free spirit and an artist, creative and unconventional.  Teddy was the funniest and the naughtiest of us all.  He was always in trouble, but we were always laughing at his antics.  Without his humor, he would have been just a plain old bad boy who should have been sent to military school.  But his loving and funny personality was, and still is, his redeeming grace!

Some things you should know about Tedson...

• He once told the neighbor kids that he had two big sisters named Ursula and Ickola.  And they believed him.  In case you wondered, this is where my alter-ego named Ursula comes from.
• One time, Teddy put a clear rubber band around the trigger of the sink sprayer in the kitchen, pointing the sprayer directly outward.  I can't remember who was the target of this trick, but imagine their surprise when they got a face-full of water when they went to turn on the sink.
• When he was about 2 years old, we got a new kitten.  One afternoon, Kitty disappeared, along with Teddy and his best buddy Brooke.  When the missing parties were located, they were found in Teddy's room, the kitty covered (and I mean covered) in honey.  Someone thought it was a fun idea to give the kitty a honey bath. 
• Sometime around the age of 6 or 8, Ted gave Nichola and I each a little gold locket in the shape of a heart that had his picture in it.  I still have that necklace and I keep it in my jewelry box!  It makes me cry a little sometimes!

It has been said that siblings are the people that we practice on in preparation for real life.  They teach us how to be fair and kind and tolerant, they teach us how to exist with real people in the real world.  Sometimes those are lessons learned the hard way! 

The sibling relationship is a unique one, most people will never experience another relationship like it.  To the world outside, we all grow old, evolve and change according to our life experiences.  Not so with siblings, though.  To my sister and brother, we know each other as we always have been.  We understand each other and love each other unconditionally.  We know the experiences that make us tick.  We share a treasure trove of inside family jokes, skeletons in closets, and the triumphs and failures that make us the people we are today. 

I would imagine that to my siblings, I will always be cast in the same role.  I would like to think that they will always think of me as their protector, the one who looks out for them and worries about them and is always on their side.  Hopefully, they will forget that I was sometimes bossy and snotty and made them do stuff that I didn't want to do myself!

So happy birthday to my baby brother Teddy.  I'm sorry for telling you that you were born in a forest and raised by wolves until they dropped you off at our doorstep and our parents generously took you in.  Actually, on second thought, I'm not really sorry, on account of the fact that you told the neighbors that my name was Ursula and make fun of me for loving Bud Light.