She’s short, skinny, young. Her blonde hair covers her eyes, her shirt hangs on her body like an empty sack. You see her arms, how they are intertwined with her brothers. He is evidently special needs. His walk is funny, his smile is off somehow. His white cane stretches in front of them. It rolls over the sidewalk, clicking against the curb. They’re an odd pair. Leaning against each others shoulders, gravity holding them together. You smile. What a good sister, you think to yourself, so inspiring.

You continue to stare. How does she do it? You ask yourself. At such a young age, how mature she must be! She must be a joy to everyone she knows. Always so giving, kind, wise. You take out your phone. Text your friend about it. The two of them fade into the crowds, but you cannot get them off your mind.



Several others notice the sister and brother as well. They grin at the girl, proud to have seen such an act of abnormal kindness, from such a young person. In that brief period of time that their lives have crossed with hers, they feel as if they know her. Know her personality, her thoughts, her life. But they don’t. I know, because that girl is me.


If you had a brother with special needs, you wouldn’t wonder how to do it, how to live life the same. You would just do it. Because family sticks together.

If you had a brother with special needs, you wouldn’t think it was inspiring. You would think it was normal. You wouldn’t bat an eye.

If you had a brother with special needs, you wouldn’t think I was a good sister. Not because I’m not a good person, but because people do what they have to do to get by.

If you had a brother with special needs, you would realize that I’m not as mature as I seem. I’m a teenager. I’m emotional, crazy, hyperactive, and reckless.


If you had a brother with special needs, you would understand that being a sibling, isn’t a heroic thing. It is a Thing, as simple as getting up in the morning and falling asleep. It doesn’t need to be glamorized, it doesn’t need to be idolized. It simply needs to Be.