Visit with sibling conjures youth
By Jane Muhlstein
Remember the carefree days of naptime and Saturday morning cartoons? I know a lot of us may still be there, but think back to the days when it was socially (and parentally) acceptable to sit around in your pajamas eating Lucky Charms.
Looking for a way to reconnect with these lost activities of your youth? It's easy. Hang out with a kid.
My mother conveniently found herself working late most nights that week, and with my 16-year-old brother in school, I became the live-in nanny to my four-year-old brother.
It's probably too late for most of you to gain a new sibling, and I'm sure your parents would have themselves a good laugh if you broached the subject. But you don't really need the child in question to be a sibling. A niece, nephew, cousin or friend of the family will work just as well - maybe even better.
Since I was a sophomore in high school, my brother has been a great excuse to escape back to childhood. Under the guise of caring for a child, you can do so many things you'd be embarrassed to do otherwise. I cannot tell you how often friends of mine in high school would approach me with "Let's take your brother to the zoo on Friday" or "I really want to see the new Disney movie, let's go with your brother!"
A kid also lets you do things you enjoy without receiving unwanted feedback from others.
My youngest brother is the only person in my family who shares my fondness of the Disney Channel, which evolved from years of baby-sitting. When I'm with him, no one tries to make me change the channel.
He enables my other brother to watch "Sponge Bob Square Pants" without my mother making him get up to do something more constructive. When they're watching TV or playing Legos together, a slacker immediately turns into a caring big brother.
Maybe the best incentive to spend time with a child is the chance to finally do all those things you didn't get to do when you were little. Santa has mysteriously given my brother all the toys he forgot to give me when I was four years old. I spent last Christmas playing a long-awaited game of Hungry Hungry Hippos.
Not that hanging out with a kid solves all your problems. I still can't find anyone to go see "The Lizzie McGuire Movie" with me.