Siblings that are decades apart in age creates a generation gap

This past weekend was a bit of a culture-shock for me — and it wasn’t because Jersey Shore’s JWoww graced Mount Pleasant with her presence.

My brother celebrated his fourth birthday, and I realized that, in only a few months, it will be the 24th anniversary of my birth.

The time between us spans nearly two decades. I am actually closer in age to my stepmom than I am my brother. To top that,

I’m also 21 years older than my youngest sister.

I am a generation removed from my brother and sister. This creates an interesting family dynamic.

The first thing that I realized is that I will never have the same kind of relationship with my brother and baby sister as I do with my other siblings, at least right now.

But I am doing everything I can to make sure that I will, when they get older, have a similar
relationship with them.

It saddens me that Pete and Pete will not have the same influence on them as it did me.

I feel he and my sister are missing out on Doug and his adventures as Quailman.

The list goes on. Raffi, Rugrats, summers at the Grosse Pointe Hunt Club. These are all things that defined my childhood, which I was lucky enough to share with my other three sisters.

But I will never experience that with the Little Man or the Kid.

They will have a completely different experience than me. Instead of Pete and Pete, they have Spongebob Squarepants.

Instead of Nirvana, they have Miley Cyrus.

There is a great cultural disconnect between us.

This sounds more dismal than it actually is. I love my little bro and sis, they are great kids.

They just make me feel old sometimes.

Having little ones running amok has made my life at home much more interesting had they not been born.

I am eternally grateful that they were, because now I have two young kids I know I have an immense influence over.

My brother is obsessed with my bass guitar (“Play Guitar, Michael! I’ll play the tambourine!”), and it gives me hope that maybe he will pick up an instrument of his own.

He and my sister also love good, funky music.

Whenever I babysit for my parents, a dance party usually ensues, with a soundtrack consisting of the Talking Heads, the B52s and The Beets (from Doug).

I also know that because of the impact I have on both of them, I have to set the example of how to act in certain situations.

There is absolutely no swearing, which I do too much of anyway.

I have to make sure I chew with my mouth closed, say my please and thank you’s even more than I already do.

But I wouldn’t have it any other way now. Both of them have made my life way more interesting than it ever was.

I mean, I get to wake up to: “Michael, can I snuggle?”