A Special Bond Between Brothers
How Do You Do It?
When people find out I have three boys under 6 years old, they immediately ask me, "How do you do it!" To be honest, most days are crazy. There are always little kids climbing on couches, fighting over toys, talking about bodily functions, and it gets messy.Real messy. Like Cheerios everywhere you can imagine kind of messy.However, there is one person that helps keep me sane every day, my five year old Liam. He is a rock star. He's definitely coming into a sassy I know everything phase, but he is always helping me. In our family, he is the Unna, which means the big brother.An Unna is a very special role in Indian families. They have the responsibility of looking out for their siblings and truly coming in as a little parent. For those of you that are the oldest in your family, you know what this looks like. Indian families take it a step further though. It's not just that they look out for their siblings, they truly have a place of authority in their siblings lives.I was introduced to this when I met my brother and sister in law for the first time. It was Thanksgiving and I was still getting to know my husband's family. We had been dating for a while at this point and knew it was serious. I was anxious to see what type of relationship my husband had with his siblings.I was the oldest of all my brothers so I had an idea what it looked like to have the responsibility on your shoulders. The more I watched them interact, the more I noticed something different. His siblings truly respected him and actually listened.I tell my brothers what to do all the time and usually they do what they want in the end. I'm sure I'd be the same way if the tables were turned.My brother and sister in law had a completely different relationship with their big brother. They valued what he said and went to him like they would to their own parents.
Passing Down Traditions To Our Boys
This was always something I wanted to pass on to my kids. I loved the idea behind it. It meant my kids would always be looking after each other and what mom doesn't want that.All three of my kids know and understands what it means to be an Unna. All three of them listen to their older brother and know it's their responsibility to take care of each other. Now, I'm not saying I let them parent each other while I lounge on the couch... As much as I'd love that!The relationship they have with each other is special. They rely on each other, love each other, and they're little partner's in crime everywhere they go.Out of all of the traditions we've passed down to the boys, this special bond is one of my favorites. I love the closeness it has brought all three of them.The funny thing is now they think all families are like ours. They assume they're unnas to everyone who is younger than this. This gets fun when we have play dates because they start bossing all the little kids around! Sometimes being an Unna is an excuse to be the boss.As they get older, they're going to learn more about what the role of an Unna means and I can't wait to watch them figure it out.