On Younger Siblings - Having Them and Being One

I received a frantic text from a friend the other day:

"Whats this about you moving to England?? How could you? Don't make me come over there and stop you!!" I responded with a "what are you talking about?  who told you that?" 

Turns out she was hanging out with my younger siblings and had been told some bad information.  I sighed and thought..."darn those kids, misinformed as usual".  I pictured them in my head, spouting off random bits of half truths and wondered where in the world they came up with this stuff.  But the more I thought about it over the next few days I wondered really...where did they come up with this stuff?  It is something I once said to them?  are they really that out of touch with my life?  Wait a minute....am I really that out of touch with my younger siblings? 

To be honest I don't keep in regular contact with my youngest siblings (or any siblings for that matter) I love them all dearly, but now that we're all grown up it seems that life gets in the way.  The funny thing is that I remember how it feels to be in their shoes.  To be always one step behind your older siblings, you finally get to a point in your life where you feel you've caught up, only to realize they've already moved onto the next step.  Yay! I graduated highschool....what? you're in college now?  ok..college done...wait a minute..married? ok married check!  what! kids?  oh man this is gonna take a while.  and so on and so forth.  

I used to crave the attention and time of my older brothers.  Considered any quality time spent with them super cool, I would hang on every word and nothing would make me prouder than a compliment from them.  I respected them and looked up to them (and still do for that matter)

Now I know what you must be thinking....I am awful vain if I think that my younger siblings think of me this way.  If anything I feel myself viewed as the older sister who has no time for them.  So why is it that time spent with older siblings is a prize and time with younger siblings a burden?   What is it about younger siblings that makes them "less cool" than older siblings.  Is it the lack of experience?  The fact that their bedtime is earlier than yours?

That's the great thing about growing up, the playing field is leveled and now everyone has the same curfew and rules and everyone has their own life experiences to bring to the table.  As adults we finally realize that a few years age difference has no significance whatsoever and that people younger than us can actually be smarter (or cooler) than us. 

So please excuse me while I go get over myself and finally call my younger siblings.