Can Step families Work? My Little Brother Interview

I was in college when I found I out that I was going to be an older sister for the second time. I felt so many emotions. I had never even thought about the possibility of this happening, but my Father remarried and then came the wonderful news. My little brother P and I have always been very close. We are both emotional and creative and we seemed to bond right away.

My Father and I were lucky enough to get this second chance of having a larger family. My life became much fuller, brighter, warmer and funnier with P in it. So I wanted to share with you some of his thoughts on his life in today's world.

P is a thirteen year old funny, smart, emotional, sports fanatic guy who cannot wait to become a professional basketball player. And I just saw P's Facebook status update and it said 'My big sis is in town. ' Ah P thanx.

Interview

How old are you and where were you born? I am turning 14 and was raised in Woodland Hills, Ca for most of my life.

What grade are you in? I'm in eighth grade going into ninth.

How do you feel about going into high school? I am nervous, but very excited because it’s going to be a much better experience then any of the other school years. Grade wise and social wise. My school will be much bigger and I will have to adapt to the environment. I am also scared to go into high school because I am going from being the big eighth grader to a puny freshman.

How did I get the name Lala? When I was a little boy I couldn’t pronounce Laura. I tried, but the word that came out for Laura was Lala. It has stuck around for my whole life. And many people use my nickname for you, but it’s mine!

Do you know what a recession is? No. Never heard the word before. Can you tell me?

What does the word Economy then mean to you? Economy is like the way the value of money is in our country. How people use money and how the world is right now. The economy is terrible right now due to a former Presidents mistakes. It's not all his fault, but he made some mistakes.

What are your feelings about President Obama? I think he’s a good president so far, but in my eyes he’s a great speaker, with great ideas and great determination. He’s trying as hard as he can to save our society, but one man can only do so much.

What job do want to have when you're older? I want to be a professional basketball player. I know I might sound naive, but I know I’m really good at basketball and if your good at a sport you have a greater advantage to go to colleges for cheaper. If I am not a basketball player then I see myself going to Law School and hopefully becoming a sports agent. If you have a Law degree then more options can open for you.

Do you believe in marriage and having children? Yes, strongly. I believe if two people are in love and they want to be together forever they should get married. It’s a free country. I think gays and lesbians should also be able to marry. They can be seen as differeny, but they only have different beliefs. I do see myself as getting married and having two or three children.

Where will you be in five years? I will be nineteen and I will be in my first year in college. I would like to go to a good college like UCSB or a college of that caliber.

What are your favorite books, artists, movies and TV shows? I like the Caroline B. Cooney books. She has many well known books and I’ve read pretty much all of them. My favorite book so far is The Terrorist. It’s not the kind of book it sounds like. It's about a family who moves to England and the little boy of the family is on the subway and a man hands him a wrapped package and says his friend dropped it. Sadly the little boy dies and his older sister is determined to find the killer and make things right. I strongly recommend this book to anyone of any age.

Artists: I like bands like the All American Rejects to Kanye West. I like all music hip hop to rock to pop. Bench Warmers, Angels on the Outfield and Epic Movie.

TV Shows: ESPN, pretty much anything on VH1 or MTV, I also like George Lopez, Home Improvement and Family Matters.

What is it like to have an older sister that is nineteen years apart from you and to have a father that has been married before? I think it’s pretty cool to have a sister and brother that’s been through what I am about to go through. They are always there to give me advice no matter what my question is. I’m fine with my Dad being married twice. I’m just glad that he gave me two great siblings with another wife and then married my mom who looks at my older sister (you) and brother as her own.

How important are your friends to you? They are the most important thing to me besides family. They are my second family. I can always look to them for advice and to have a good time.

How important are sports to you? They are extremely important if I didn’t have sports I would have a much less exciting life, with less opportunities. My whole life, I’ve been in a variety of sports and it helped me make friends at an early age. 

If you could give advice to adults about raising children what would it be? As a kid, I say that adults should give fewer punishments because many parents see a mistake that children make as something wrong and unacceptable. I think parents should see the mistakes as lessons. Punishing children too much sometimes turns children against adults. I know many children when they get punished think to themselves, I have the worse parents and I will not do this when I become a parent. As I am maturing, I know that you have to punish sometimes to get the lesson across to children. Other kids may see this differently then me.

Thank you P for taking the time to share with us your thoughts. From my experience, I know that Step families can work. You just have to put your heart and time in. Don't you just love P's thoughts on going into high school next year and on punishing children too much? It took me right back. *Below is one of my favorite pictures of P and Alcatraz.