What It's Like to Be a Big Sister

Ok so this is going to be about if you have a younger brother or sister. This will probably help  you through the days of  where there will be crying almost wherever you go, how I know all of this stuff and how you can trust me because I am only 9 years old. I don't like to lie to the world or just the people who are listening to me do this blog. I have a little brother who is only 1 year old so I can tell you all the things that you can do with a little brother. I'd guess that this would also be like having a little sister. I have two little girl cousins that feel like sisters to me. Their names are Claire and Camille. This is how you know you can trust me.

#1. I am going to tell you the things that are great about little brothers. When I come home from school and I get frustrated because I have so much homework (5-6 pages!), I put my head down and feel like I can't do it. But then, when I see my brother or I think about him happy and smiling, I feel like I can do it and that I can change my brother's life into a happy fairy tale. When he has homework in the future, I can help him on it or at least tutor him because I'm 8 years older than him. How that's easier for my parents is that I can check his work and for the tutoring part, I can tutor him on any day they'd like and it can be for free. When he is in PreK or the last grade of baby school, I'm going to teach him his colors, numbers, letters and what facial parts he has and all those things. I know I can do this right because I've done it on my cousin Claire before. She was almost in PreK and she came to me and said, "Kylie, I'm scared and I don't know anything about what I'm supposed to do at the big school. Can you help me?" I taught her addition and subtraction (I taught her what 4+4 is) and those kinds of addition problems. The best part about that was that when her face lit up with joy because I gave her her own learning book that I had when I was little but didn't use it.

These days I help Grady with reading even though he closes the book and gets out of my lap. But I still keep trying. After that, he usually wants to do music so I turn on his radio and we start getting his baby instruments, shaking them, laughing and making music. Then usually after that he wants to work on his muscles like he starts throwing balls. Then he usually goes in my room. I think "Oh no! I hope he doesn't go in my closet because he could get lost in it because it's so crowded."

Having a brother feels like nothing bad is in the world. It's not always good. Sometimes when I'm supposed to be watching him, I'm actually playing with him but couldn't get to him in time when he fell and blood was coming out of his mouth. He started crying with tears all down his face. So I picked him up and ran to the kitchen. Luckily, he didn't need stitches. It was just a little blood. It made me feel like he would never forgive me. Now that's why I always try to make the best of myself when my brother is around me so he doesn't make the same mistakes as I do. He's supposed to make his own mistakes. Don't start getting worried or crying with tears. Having a little brother when you first think about it is actually not going to be the best thing, you think. But then after awhile, when you guys start being closer and closer together, you feel like nothing will take you guys apart and that nothing can make one of you mad at each. You guys will always forgive and you guys can always remember that God is with you.

Please add your comments so I know what you think and what you'd like to know more about from a 9 year old Houston girl. Thanks.
--Kyster

What Happened to Your New Year's Resolution?

Busy. It's how every parent would explain their life. I know. Somehow my newborn turned one and my "Little K" is about to become my "Miss K" when she turns 9 in just a few weeks. In all of this, I haven't blogged. At all. However, I've realized how much I've missed the cathartic process of writing for me and the community aspect of sharing with other parents and grandparents. So, here goes another (albeit late) New Year's resolution.

We're going to change things up a bit on the Kids Activity Queen blog. Starting later this week, my (almost) 9-year-old will start blogging here in addition to me. My hope is that the blog will offer candid insight from a kids' perspective, not just a grown ups'. I hope you'll excuse the typos yet embrace the youngster who will be sharing her experiences growing up... as a big sister who is 8 years older than her only sibling, as an almost (cringe) preteen with the excitement & then pain of braces & of course all the outings/adventures/activities that we'll be exploring.

I welcome feedback & suggestions. I hope Miss K will too, although as I write this I realize she may decide to rename her pseudonym/blogger name. We'll see. I'll choose my battles as wisely as any type A, working mother can and hope that the rest will fall into place with a lot of time on my knees praying. I still think that's the best any of us can do. Do you agree?

Until the next time (not too long),
The Kids Activity Queen