Why Ya Scared?

First off, you HAVE to click on each individual picture to see them larger so you can see the look on all three kids faces. In picture one to the left , TJ is probably five or six, I don't think the other kids were born yet, but if they were it was only Zach and he was probably asleep in a play pen inside the condo. I wanted to have a pic of me and TJ sitting on the balcony ... you would have thought I was trying forcefully to push him off. It took several tries before Cin and I quit laughing and this was the best shot we got. The look on his face is one of complete TERROR. Let's move on to the photo of Zach and TJ with the basketball. Zach looks as if he is just WAITING for TJ to smash the ball into his face, which had probably already crossed TJ's mind (from the smirk TJ is wearing.) Last is a picture of Massey on TJ's shoulders in St. Augustine when we visited my mother in law one year. Massey was trying so hard to look cool in her blue shades she had begged me to buy, but they didn't hide that look of fear while she sat on her older brother's shoulders.
You just never know with older sibs at young ages (or moms in TJ's case.) They talk you into something that they make sound like so much fun but only turns out to be fun for THEM. I can remember times when my brother and sister would say "Come on, Kelly...it will be FUN!"

And it always was...for THEM! How many times did I have to get my ankle stuck in the spokes of their bike while they peddled me flying down "Mad Dog" hill with dogs snapping at us the whole way as I clung to their back sitting on the seat while my older sibs stood up and peddled (obviously NOT fast enough?) I still have the scar on my right ankle. Or "Go ahead and take the bone away from the dog, he won't mind." Brothers and sisters just seem to thrive on inflicting pain and discomfort on younger sibs when growing up. Unfortunately I was the youngest and had to wait for TJ to come along to retaliate. He was so scared that day on the balcony of the condo. For Pete's sake, we were on the second floor, it wasn't like I asked him to sit on the ledge of the Chrysler building...but to him it was the same thing.

When you are a kid, the world seems so big and scary...when you grow up you realize that in fact it is BIGGER and SCARIER. Maybe my older brother and sister were just trying to give me a reality check and prepare me for the future.

NAW!! They were just amusing themselves, but unknowingly they were IN FACT preparing me for the future. Maybe they should have been a touch meaner!