I decided to go with the writing prompt today because it sparked my interest in the idea of ‘siblings’.  I have a brother who is 6-years younger than me.  If you follow my blog, you read my post about him fighting Leukemia when he was little and how our family overcame this rough time in our lives.  Because Justin and I are 6 years apart we are just now starting to have interests in common.  He is now entering the workforce after college and I have been in the working world (since college) for almost 7 years now.  It’s great that we can now relate in our lives and I look forward to being there for him as he gets his own place one day, buys a home, meets the ‘right’ girl, has kids, blah, blah, blah…  We are very different in the sense that he is artistic, mellow, free spirit, and a Libra while I’m more science/math-minded, high-strung, organized, and a Leo.  But we’ve always supported each other!

My brother Justin and I in Maui

The relationship that I have with my brother has definitely impacted the way I want to raise my child(ren).  We hope to have our kids closer in age so that they can support each other from the time they are young and as they grow up to become adults.  Our son is almost 16 months now and we hope to get pregnant within this year (2012) so that our next child will only be about 2.5 to 3 years younger.  This means that they will not only be together in elementary school at the same time but also in high school before entering into college.  I think it should create a healthy competitive environment for not only academics but sports as well.  But I also want them to be able to support each other.  Now that we have a son I think we both agree we’d love to have a daughter next to be able to experience both sides of parenting, however I would not be disappointed if I had another boy because at least I would have a better idea of what to expect.  Plus, I think that having 2 kids of the same sex would make it easier for them to have common interests so that they can play together growing up.  I love being a mommy of a boy, there is nothing like being loved by my little man…  My favorite thing right now is when he reaches up to hold my hand, it just melt my heart!  He’s a little independent man but still wants to make sure Mommy is right there to support him (which I always will be).

My little man in Maui

Either way, I feel like every child deserves a sibling.  I personally feel that if my child didn’t have a sibling I would be depriving him.  Siblings offer personal growth, learning how to change, learning to share, learning to get along with others, lots of LOVE, and so much more.  While I love my parents, there is just something about a sibling understanding just how you feel that no one else in the world will ever understand (And I think my little brother knows exactly what I am talking about!)