Big Brother is Watching You
He is actually little brother, but he misses less than a dystopian government
Dear Eldest,
I am very proud of the little lady you are growing into. You have a wonderful sense of humor, an inquisitive nature, and an abundance of confidence. The excitement you bring to most things is amazing to watch, and you genuinely seem to care about those around you.
You treat 99.99% of people with kindness and respect, and even that .01% gets treated respectfully the majority of the time; there just happen to be times that you decide to be a pill and butt heads with your Mother.
Overall, you want to help with your younger siblings, and your intentions are even more helpful than the reality of your actions.
As your younger brother grows, he is watching you more than you can possibly know. He wants to do what you do, like what you like, and imitate you in every way possible. His obsession with Frozen and PJ Masks did not occur in a vacuum. You cannot realize how closely he is paying attention, but every little joke, decision to talk back, time spent reading is something he is noting and learning from.
This comes with a lot of perks, in that you can heavily influence your younger siblings, and have a natural advantage when deciding what to do or play. It also seems to leave you frustrated as you struggle for your own independent identity.
For the better part of a year now we have been warning you, repeatedly, that he is watching, studying, learning. We have tried to explain that as you tease and antagonize him, he is honing his own skills. That lesson has begun to hit home. He is getting quite good at getting under your skin, yet still you carry on. His natural ability at pushing buttons may not compare to your own, but he has a massive head start since you have blazed the trail and laid down signposts for him. He is rapidly catching up, much to your chagrin.
My hope is that you will eventually take this to heart and remember that your younger siblings are watching you. They look up to you, admire you and want to emulate what you do. The stakes will grow as you grow.
Try to remember that frustrating as it may be, you have the opportunity to inspire, teach and lead. If you treat them with kindness, they will do the same. If you tease, pester and antagonize, they will repeat that same behavior. It is not always easy to have people want to follow in your footsteps.
Good luck, I love you!
Love,
Dad