As I was having dinner with mom, we were talking about when I was younger- which inspired me to write this post.
There is my Dad, Mom, big brother, me, my little brother and my little sister who is the youngest of the family.
Being the middle child wasn't really easy for me. Mainly because my 2 brothers got all the attention and my sister, being the youngest, also got attention.
We are all very close in age. It was like 4 peas in a pod. Although we all got along- we always wanted to kill each other. Always winded each other up and creating random games together.
We weren't in a well off family. My parents were hard working parents. My dad had his own takeaway in London and my mom did clothes making. We lived in a flat in London- Bembridge House. It was a 3 bedroom flat- I just remember it had a lot of stairs.
My dad was always in work and I remember after lunch, the four of us would queue up and say goodbye to him as he put on his shoes and his black leather jacket. My mom was a stay at home working mom. She had to look after us while she worked. To kill boredom, my siblings and I always made up random games to play. One time my big brother and I played Cooking Teddy bears. My mom came rushing down the stairs and told us off. I remember this incident because I burnt my finger on the hob.
Sometimes my mom would have to go to the takeaway to help out so my parents would bring us to my grandmother's house for her to babysit us. We would meet up with my 3 other cousins there and there would be chaos! My grandmother also worked at home doing clothes making. One time we were messing around and one time my grandmother stormed in and took the water gun we were playing with and snapped it in half! We were so afraid of her.
My dad wasn't a typical dad. We didn't have much of a relationship although he adored my little sister. He smoked, he drank, he gambled and he had other women outside. My parents always argued so we were well use to it growing up. Because of my dad's gambling problems, we were always moving around. I'd say we lived at 5 different places around London before we finally packed up all our things and moved to Ireland in 1995.
Living in Dublin, Ireland- was different. The schools were different. I also noticed there weren't many black people in my school whereas in London I had many different cultural friends.
We were very bold kids when we were younger. We'd bunk off school a lot and always sneak out of the house after bed time. We always physically beat each other up, bickered and argued. It was pretty pointless but I guess that's what siblings do.
My parents divorced when I was 17. It was very hard for us all. My dad moved out and the 4 of us stayed with mom. Mom was always unhappy but at least she had us. Since the divorce- the 4 of us stopped fighting and stopped arguing. We all got along. We'd have the odd tiff here and there but nothing serious.
Growing up was bittersweet. My mom depended on me a lot and I did everything for her.
Now my sister lives in Belfast with her fiance. My younger brother is away in Korea on holiday and my big brother is a chef at my aunt's takeaway.
Although we all lead different lives- when we get together its like younger days. I'm very grateful and thankful in this lifetime I have these 3 as my sibling.
