Recently we added another granddaughter to the family circle. So now there are 13 granddaughters and six grandsons. That makes 19 altogether, which I happen to think is a pretty good number. But 20 must be better since my youngest daughter is due towards the end of October.
She and her husband like to be surprised, so we do not know if the baby will be a boy or a girl. Personally, I don't lean one way or the other. Well, I may be hoping for a girl since they currently have two sons and a daughter, but I'm always glad for whatever comes and especially thankful if they are healthy.
This new granddaughter is quite charming to say the least. She weighed in at an even nine pounds, so she seems to have gotten a good start for life outside the womb. Her name is Danica Jo, which I love. She has a head full of dark-brown to black hair. I'm not sure if they will call her Danica or Danny Jo or D J or what, but all of those are good names in my opinion.
Her mom, Jessica, takes a walk most every day and sometimes stops by the shop to say hello and give me a chance to see the baby. And, of course, Landon usually tags along since his older sisters are all in school now. Sometimes Landon stays at the shop with me and "helps" me work on bows or just plays with some of his or my tools. Landon enjoys putting an old board in my workbench clamp and working it over with a rasp or old saw. He can entertain himself for hours in my shop and sometimes he actually learns a thing or two.
Before the baby came, Landon would talk about getting a new baby sister. Since he has always been the baby of the family, I think the idea of a little sister felt kind of threatening to him. But he seemed to be genuinely glad to be getting a new sister.
One day as we were working in the shop, Landon casually said, "I'm going to be the boss of it."
"The boss of what?" I asked him.
"The boss of her," he said.
"You mean the new baby?"
"Yes," he said, "I'm going to be the boss of it."
"I see," I said, "And do you think the new baby will need a boss?"
"Yes," he said, "My sisters boss me and I will be the boss of her."
So I got a glimpse into Landon's philosophy of life right there in that simple declaration, "I will be the boss of her."
You see, Landon's concept of family seems to be that the older ones boss the younger ones. I suppose there are books out there on the topic of sibling rivalry, although I have never really pursued the study of that particular subject. I have found it interesting to observe the differences that can be seen in children's personalities due to what I believe is their birth order. And, all too often, the oldest child does come to be something of a surrogate parent just by virtue of being older and more responsible. I don't see this as either bad or good in and of itself. When there are several children in a given family, the older ones may need to help out in order to get around in a timely fashion. And, because of this, it is not uncommon for the oldest child to be a little on the bossy side.
I remember when I was a young boy and my oldest brother, Don, told me to go feed the deer hounds (Goober and Blackie) out in the dog pen. I didn't want to and didn't believe he had the authority to order me to do it, so I appealed to my mother who told me to "get out there and feed those dogs."
While shocked at her response, I still refused to feed the dogs so my brother, who was seven years my senior, picked me up by an arm and a leg and carried me out to the dog pen and forced me to feed the dogs. After that I fed the dogs, but inside I still didn't believe my brother had the right to boss me around. I guess that was my first exposure to the idea that "might makes right."
I've been railing against that concept ever since. But, who knows? Maybe I've actually just been practicing sibling rivalry.
Sam Byrnes is a Gentry-area resident and weekly contributor to the Eagle Observer. He may be contacted by email at [email protected]. Opinions expressed are those of the author.
Editorial on 08/31/2016