When I was about 8 years old, I was growing up in a neighborhood with kids of all ages. My older brother was four and half years older than I was. At that age, that difference is huge. Yet it never stopped him from including me in his activities. I used to love playing street hockey. It was a passion. I would play whenever I could. But occasionally, the only game going was the one that the older kids were playing. My brother made a point of including me even though I was much slower, smaller than the others. My brother's friends would often object but my brother would threaten to leave unless they let me play. I always appreciated that yet I never had the courage to tell him back then, nor reciprocate with my own younger brothers.

Standing up for what you believe in can be difficult. Doing it when you're a pre-teen in a peer group is corageous. I need to say this now, 35 years later: Thank you.

One day, when I grow up, I want to be just like you.

Comments (2)

Subscribe to this comment's feed