At my Bar Mitzvah, during the candle lighting ceremony, I dedicated a candle to my older brother, and before he receives it, I read aloud a little piece that I wrote describing my relationship with him. I said, �Having an older brother has really impacted my life in different ways, and when he goes away to college after this year, my life will drastically change.� Back then, those were just words, and I was saying them because I had to say some nice things about my brother before I honored him by giving him a candle at my Bar Mitzvah. Now, four years after my brother left, those things I said are no longer just words and I have realized how much a miss my brother�s company.
While my older brother Alex was living at home, we used to fight like animals. The house would be crazy, and usually I would find myself afraid to be home alone with my brother while my parents were out or away because I didn�t want to find out what knew ways he has thought of to torture me. He left home to go to college the summer before I went into eighth grade. He was accepted to the University of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, which is about an eight hour drive away, not a trip that u would regularly like to make. Before he went away, my brother and I had a pretty strong relationship. We weren�t the closest of brothers, but we still had a special bond that kept us together. Whether it was talking about sports, TV, or any other simple thing, my brother and I always had something to talk about. My most fond memories of my brother when he was home, was when my brother and I would sit at the dinner table and just laugh through the whole meal; talking about the latest episode of �The Simpsons,� or making fun of my mom and dad. Also while he was home, my brother would give me advice with things that I found to be important in my life, such as friends and girls. I especially remember one time when I was in a serious fight with my best friend, my brother was the one who was able to help me resolve it. During the time he was home, I took for granted how special it was having him around, and always having someone to hangout with that I could relate to.
After my brother left, things really started to change for me around the house in both positive ways, and negative ways. For the first few weeks he was away, I, as a well as my parents realized that I was no longer as cheerful as I used to be around the house, and I tended to spend a lot more time by myself in my room. Eventually, as time progressed I began to accept his absence, but not having him around has left a lasting impression on my life. One example of a positive way things around my household changed was that I was now the center of attention. No longer were my parents concerned with what was going on with my brother on a day to day basis. My parents were now mainly concerned with helping me with my needs such as my school work, sports, and other activities that I participated in. Another positive way that my household changed was that I had much more freedom then I did before my brother went away, and I found myself less distracted. When Alex was home, there was usually something going on that disrupted me from relaxing or being alone, such as loud music, video games, or having his friends around, and now that he has moved away, I have more time to relax and to focus on what I need to get done. One of changes in my household that I didn�t like after my brother left was that I had to accept much more responsibilities around the house. All of the little chores that my brother and I had to share when he was home, like taking out the trash, or walking the dogs, became solely my responsibility, and I continually got in trouble because I would forget to carry these things out. Probably the most important change that dramatically affected my life was that I no longer had my brother�s company. I no longer had anyone to hang out with when my family would go to family get-togethers where everyone else there was either over thirty years older or under ten. I missed having someone around the house to blame when something broke or spilled. Believe it or not, I also missed our fights that we had because that was how we would get along, and I missed always having someone to make me laugh when I was in a bad mood. Without my brother around, I was a different person.
Probably the most important thing about my brother leaving for college was that despite not having him around, our relationship got stronger. While Alex was at college, he became more mature and made an effort to find other ways to relate to me that we had never experienced before, because he knew that it was important for us to maintain a strong relationship. He makes sure that he calls me every now and then just to see how I am doing and what was knew in my life. I now find myself continually asking my brother for advice about more serious matters, such as colleges, and finding jobs, and other things that I had never asked him about while he was living at home. So now, even though I terribly miss having him around the house, the fact that we rarely see each other throughout the year has made his visits home and our occasional family vacation just that much better.
Writer Response
I chose the subject of how I changed after my brother left for college because, I felt that this moment had a serious impact on my life. I am pleased with the outcome of my essay, and I truly feel that I appropriately displayed how I changed after he left.
I found writing this piece to be somewhat easy because, I was writing about something that was such a big part of my life. I felt as if the words were coming out naturally because I was describing myself as well as my own feelings.
I feel that I completely displayed what I set out to write. The only thing that I might have changed was that maybe I could have added more detailed interactions between my brother and me.
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