The constant crying of the little sister continues to prevail, but it eventually stops. Unfortunately, it's not all.
"Turn that TV back on! I was watching Full House!"
How can you get anything done with siblings fighting over the television? Most problems can be solved with a little thought. Not the TV dilemma. By the time it's been thought out, the show is over, and the problem has only worsened. (Jeesh, I hate TV!)
And I can't forget the other two signals of horror:
"Ding Dong. Brrriiinnggg."
The doorbell and the phone. They always come at the worst possible times.
Oh well.
Most challenges are easy to overcome: A little practice and even the most atrocious tennis game improves; a little research and the college choice can be made; a little patience and hurt feelings are healed. Unfortunately, siblings don't go away. Some days they can be the best of friends. The next minute, they're arch-rivals.
I've tried ways to deal with the challenge. They often have a habit of backfiring. After 'escaping' with music, my two year-old sister decided it would be fun to take apart a tape. In an attempt to keep her out of the stereo, I destroyed the door. (It crashed at the instant my dad's voice on the phone said, "you can't drill glass.")
Then, there's the pestering of parents: "Jeremy, sign up for driver's ed."
"But, mom! I'm almost 18!"
"We don't want to drive you around anymore."
"I'll go if you get me a new bicycle."
Alas, the plea fell on deaf ears. (I did manage to make it through driver's ed., though. It was great. I rode my bicycle there and back every day.)
It's alright. I've actually liked working with my parents on occasions. (Even though they can sometimes work in mysterious ways.) And brothers and sisters can actually be fun to work with when they're not in a castigating mood. The enormous challenge was actually easy to overcome. A few simple words sufficed: "Be excellent to each other."