Siblings

I come from a large family. There are five of us and I'm the youngest. Over the years we have all had our issues with each other. There was a time when I didn't talk to my oldest sister for quite a few years, and then my brother and I went without talking for a few years. They say you don't get to pick your family and that's true.....basically I'm stuck with them, or should I say they are stuck with me?? LOL

This is a breakdown of my siblings and my thoughts of them:

Pat: She's the oldest. She is ten years older than I am. She has three kids (Lisa, Mia, and Larry) and has seven grandkids). She was not a nice mother and it shows in her kids. She used to lock her kids in their room if she wanted to go out. She's a very controlling person with her kids and grandkids. Lisa and Larry both moved away to get away from their mother....it's probably the best thing they could have done. She's not like any of us in the sense that she does not like to share. She's never included my mom or any of us in anything. She's married to a man that most of us can't stand (this is her second marriage). She was always putting her husband's family in front of her own family. I think the thing that hurts me the most is when my dad was in the hospital he used to ask us all if Pat was going to see him, and when we told him no you could see the hurt in his eyes. She now has to live with the fact that she hurt our dad more than she will ever know. Nowadays, I "tolerate" Pat for my mom's sake. She's still very controlling and has to have all the attention on her. If one of us is sick, then she's sick too but usually ten times worse than us. I know she still hurts my mom but not inviting her to go to lunch and even drives my our mom's house and doesn't bother to stop. She doesn't think mom knows but she does know.

Rose: Next comes Rose. She's the ding-a-ling of our family. She has three girls (Roseanna, Angelena, and Anissa) and seven grandkids. She would do anything for any of us as long as it fits into her schedule. She's always running around but I'm not sure what it is she's doing. I usually only hear from her when she needs help with her computer or when she doesn't understand how to fill out the insurance papers for her husband. She's been married to the same man for, I think, thirty-four years. Her husband, Rick, used to be such a nice guy to be around, but the last few years he's become a real asshole. He's very possessive of my sister and has to know where she is at all times. It's sad because Rose lets him control her this way. Rose is one that I can always count on for emotional support, again, if and when she can fit me into her schedule. Her oldest, Roseanna, is a great mom. She was a teenage mother and has four wonderful kids. She's put herself through college and is about to start the Masters program for get her PhD. She's been married to the same man for many years. They are great parents and always put their kids first. Next comes Angelena who I have no contact with. She's isolated herself from most of us, which is really sad. Last but not least is Anissa, who is my goddaughter. At this time she's living with Angelena but I'm not sure why....Rose hasn't told us what is going on.

Malu: Nicknamed LuLu, she's the one that calls me everyday, or when I'm at my mom's she comes over with her dogs everyday so they can all play together. She's had so many medical problems. She's a licensed vocational nurse but hasn't been able to work in over ten years. She keeps her license up-to-date with hopes that she'll be able to return to work someday. She's such a strong person. She has her good days and her bad days. Although she still gets around and drives herself to places I don't think this will be the case for long. She has to use a cane to get around and at times she has to use a walker or wheelchair. She's not letting her illness get her down. She's on so many drugs but very rarely do you hear her complain. I couldn't imagine my life without her. She's my Starbucks drinking buddy!! She's got a son, who unfortunately is in prison. I don't know why he's there nor have I asked her. I know there are times that she feels ashamed but I always remind her it's not her fault and that Justin just made some bad decisions. I've taken her to see Justin in prison a few times. She lives with her partner, Trish, who until recently I never really got to know. Trish is good to her but tends to rely on my sister way too much. My sister would do anything for any of us.

Ernesto: Nicknamed, Neto. He's three years older than I am. Growing up, we hated each other. He was very protective of me and I hated that. We used to fight all the time. It wasn't until he went into the Army that I realized I really loved him. I guess they are right, you don't know what you have until it's gone. My brother is married to Marion who he met when he was over in Germany. They have been married almost twenty-five years and have two kids...Melissa and Daniel, and one granddaughter, Eva. Melissa and I are very close. She's a wonderful mother to Eva and enjoys life. Daniel is extremely spoiled by his mother, but is learning that he has to do things for himself. He's got his first real job working at the children's hospital in their janitorial department. My brother and I went through a time when we didn't talk. He didn't like my ex husband, and at the time I resented him for that. He was very supportive when I went through my divorce and was happy that I had found Frank. At this time, we are on speaking terms but prefer not to be around each other......long story short, he used to work for Frank, but decided he wanted to get paid for work that he didn't do so Frank let him go. I kept telling Frank not to hire family, but did he listen....NO!! Oh well, we will get through this.

You always hear people talk about their dysfunctional families and you think your's is just the same. Sure, we are dysfunctional but when needed we are always there for each other. I love and miss my siblings when I'm away and I need to make more of an effort to let then know so.