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This weekend I patiently waiting in line for the bathroom in my own home. I have a house with only one bathroom. This should really be no problem since only three of us actually use the bathroom. The problem is that Jasmine has sending become fastidious about her hygiene habits. The child is probably the cleanest five-year-old in the U.S.A. While I was becoming impatient because my daughter was cleaning her face, my husband looked up and said, "How did your family ever survive with only one bathroom?"
"We waited in line a lot." I uttered. I come from a family of six girls. It's weird looking back on it, I don't really remember fights for the bathroom, but I think my compromise to the bathroom problem was getting up early. I've been getting up at 5:30 a.m. since I was in high school. I also got very good at taking quick showers. I do remember that there always seem to be a curling iron or two plugged into the outlet. It also seemed like someone was always waiting to get into the bathroom.
As a kid, I always wanted to be an only child. I really only wanted some peace and quiet, and the ability to have stuff that was disturbed by anyone else. Five younger sisters did not permit peace and quiet or privacy. As an adult, I feared that my oldest child would be an only child. It's amazing how perceptions change over the years.
When I was young, I could never imagine why I would want to spend the night out with my sisters. Since I am nearly four years older than my sister who is closest in age to me is, it seemed like we had very little in common with each other. I was in high school; my sisters were still in grade school. I was in college, and they were still in grade school and high school. I was always at a different stage of life. I was always very academically oriented, not all of my sisters were. I was quiet, my sisters were loud. When I was young these were large hurdles to jump.
Not much has changed since we were kids. I am still older than my sisters, but as we all age, it's not age that is the common bond or the missing link between us; now, we are brought together by life experiences. In some aspects I am still in a different stage of life. My sisters all have young bodies, I am beginning to experience some of the little aches and pains which you don't feel when you are twenty. I'm the only one who is old enough to have had a mammogram. My sisters are still loud. They will always be loud. I have come to accept that I am the "quiet one" in the family. Actually their loudness and liveliness are amongst their best qualities.
Growing up in a large family taught me to how to deal with people who were different than I am. Now, I can even admire the differences within the family. When I was young, I could never understand why my sisters would rather work than go to school. Now, I understand that some people don't find school an awarding experience, and that they find satisfaction in doing a job well. Because of the high decibel level emitted by my sisters, I can now work in any environment and tune out any unnecessary noise. Living in a large family taught me that we each have our strengths and weaknesses, and I learned how to tolerate these differences. Now, it's great, if I have a problem or an idea and I can get five different viewpoints instantly. I have a support system when things aren't going quite right, and I, in turn, can be supportive of my sisters.
I now have two children. Hopefully, they will learn tolerance and learn to live with their siblings' weaknesses and strengths. The younger one tends to be a little loud, so I'm sure the older one will someday learn to deal with noise. I know in the next few years, there are bound to be several skirmishes between my children, but I do believe that when the get older, they will appreciate and support each other.
Now, the task before me is learning to be patient with the meticulous five-year-old who keeps me waiting in line for the bathroom. At least, I don't have to worry about putting my hand down on a hot curling iron, yet.
February 24, 2000 |
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