Rookie » October 5, 2011

October 5, 2011

Friendship breakups, siblings and the lack thereof, and Arthur.

Minna Gilligan, Dylan Tupper Rupert, Naomi Morris and Katherine Denney 10/05/2011

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Naomi

Here in the middle of England we are in the midst of what might turn out to be an Indian summer, a phenomenon I’ve never experienced before. I’ve never seen it be this hot in autumn; I’ve never seen such blue sky with such yellow leaves.

Of course, because it’s warm everyone suddenly rediscovers the outdoors. I sound so bitter, but when I went to the park for a walk the other day it was so full of people, when just the other week there’d been a little downpour and I had walked the same park in complete solitude (which gave me a chance to have a sneaky go on the playground slide).

I know that most everyone loves warm weather. The weather presenters here are so in favour of it and seem so outraged when it dares to rain or snow (and I thought the BBC was supposed to be unbiased). Not me. I am not a heat person. Not when our houses aren’t built to stay cool in hot weather and the nights are stuffy as hell.

I had just got into the idea of autumn—letting go of carefree summer, knuckling down to work. Now I want fires and autumn walks and thick blankets and scarves and velvet and winter coats and Christmas. I had carefully packed my summer clothes away, relishing the sight of tights and jumpers,* only to have to pull a summer dress back out of hiding. The books on my to-read pile feel too heavy or serious for sunny weather (Parade’s End anyone? 800 pages?). All my autumn music I had mentally piled up doesn’t sound right. So I feel all mixed up and out of sorts and ready to throw a strop** at any moment.

I know I sound like a spoilt brat. After all, as a home-schooler, I am not having to commute in a hot car and toil away in an office or a classroom. I am actually very lucky to be able to be at home and slink away to the cool darkness of my bedroom whenever I want to. It’s really my anxiety. I’m hypersensitive to change. It takes me a while to come to terms with drastic fluctuations in weather or season.

To deal with this climatic confusion and its resulting fluctuations in my mood and comfort, I retreated into childhood this week. I found a YouTube channel with what seemed like every episode of Arthur ever made. Arthur was the one show I watched consistently throughout my whole childhood and even a little bit beyond.

I found myself laughing a lot, sometimes at jokes I wouldn’t have understood when I was younger. All the little tinkles of music were exactly the same and hearing them brought a warm feeling of nostalgia. I watched as many episodes as I could before my eyelids closed of their own accord. And I found myself, for what seemed like the first time ever, wishing I was a child again.

When my friends and I were 12, 13, 14, a lot of them would tell me how much they wished they could go back in time to childhood. I thought they were absolutely crazy. For so long I had wanted to be grown up and have responsibility and be thought of as mature and sophisticated. I tried to distance myself from anything “childish.” I stopped reading teen novellas and decided on more adult books. I didn’t wish to partake in old playground games on the school field. But in the past year or so I have “matured” at such a rapid pace—from my thought processes to my body image to my views on life and independence—that it’s actually quite tiring.

I am 18 in six months. Six months doesn’t seem a lot to me at all. So many things have changed even since I turned 17. I’ve discovered what I really want from life. Maybe. Well, even if I am not there yet, I am edging closer.

* Sweaters.
** Pitch a fit.

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24 Comments

Annie October 5th, 2011 7:18 PM
I usually watch the Colbert Report religiously, but I didn’t watch this one. I’m an only child too, so I knew it would probably just upset me. I relate to basically everything in this post; it’s really comforting to know that I’m not the only one going through this stuff.
Gretchyn October 5th, 2011 7:28 PM
This is really honest + comforting for me, because I just went through a friendship breakup very similar to this + I’m still in a blunder trying to deal with encountering her/our mutual “friends” (I really didn’t like them, we had nothing in common) at school. This does help though, I’m really glad you shared this. X
- Gretchyn October 5th, 2011 7:29 PM
  @ Katherine’s post.
junebuglove October 5th, 2011 7:34 PM
Dylan, it is not because you are an only child. I am the same exact way and I have an older and younger sister. Go figure.
Marguerite October 5th, 2011 8:02 PM
I have two older sisters and i would have failed at life without them! I have no idea how you do it Dylan!
Nomi October 5th, 2011 8:22 PM
Dylan – I’m an only child too, and I’m actually quite a normal teenager. I do read a lot, and I know a lot of other only children, so that has helped a little. But I’m very very sensitive, so much that even the slightest, friendly insult comment can make me want to shrivel into a snail. I sometimes wish I’d had a sibling so that I could learn to defend myself–from what I’ve seen, siblings fight a rather lot. I also, actually, sometimes feel a little bit childish compared to my friends. I think since having siblings is such a norm, us only children may always feel a little out of place. (I always feel like people look at me funny when I tell them I have no siblings!) Our lives would both be different if we had siblings, that’s for sure, but who’s to say they would have been better? What if our siblings HATED us, or what if our parents played favorites? My friends all love their siblings, but they always express jealousy at me having my own room and getting all the Hannukah presents. Besides I’ve always felt like my friends are my siblings. But that’s just my experience, every only child’s is different, Im sure. What I’m trying to say is, hey fellow only child, being only doesn’t mean alone, which is something I’m still learning.
rhymeswithorange October 5th, 2011 8:50 PM
That’s so interesting dylan, I feel sometimes like I miss out on all the typical teenage stuff too because even though I go to a public school, it’s an options school, meaning it’s not the usual big high school, everyone chooses (or their parents make them) go there. And when I talk to people not from my school honestly sometimes it feels like we’re from two different worlds. I’m not sure how this’ll effect me later.
Also I’m pretty self-absorbed (or maybe in tune with myself?? I feel comfortable talking about/dissecting myself) and I have a younger brother.
Carol October 5th, 2011 9:20 PM
Dylan, I too am an only child. I know exactly how you feel — though sometimes I’m thankful it’s just me, more often than not I crave for siblings. Your words rings true more so because as of late I’ve thought an awful lot about my only-child-ness. I found the following piece really interesting and somewhat resonant: I hope you enjoy it as well!
Mememeo October 5th, 2011 9:31 PM
I’m an only child too, and I’ve experienced the same thing – not only a lack of typical teenager experiences, but I’m was also very awkward when socializing until I was 15… I was incapable of striking up any sort of casual conversation. I found out that I had to go halfway around the world in order to get the typical teenager experience.

These days, though, I’ve learned the art of subtly injecting the weather into any awkward silences ||D

But, for the most part, I’ve found that I DO like being an only child more.
koolkat October 5th, 2011 11:32 PM
I have a younger sister, but I the near five years before she was born, I guess I developed the same personality as an only child. I get really shy and find it hard to join in with group discussions and stuff. And I did grow up really fast because my parents spent those early years stimulating and working with me so I guess I look into stuff deeper or something? I’m also really paranoid so either I’m just weird or I was badly hit by only-child syndrome!

I think if you’re the older sibling it does help with being selfish, but ultimately you still don’t have the older sister. Luckily both my parents were only children, so my mum especially is really good at talking to me and stuff.
Angie Bitchface October 6th, 2011 1:24 AM
Dylan — I have an older brother and I had a similar high school experience as you — I didn’t go to prom, didn’t go to most of the school events or parties, didn’t have a boyfriend in high school or all that many friends, always felt pretty out of place among people my age — but for me it wasn’t a conscious choice to distance myself from people my age, it seemed more at the time that they were distancing themselves from me. later on I found out that everyone in high school (other than my friends) apparently thought I was really shy and kept to myself all the time, but I had thought that people just didn’t want to talk to me. anyway, my point is, I don’t think it’s the number of siblings you have that determines these things. maybe it’s one factor, but there are many other factors to consider. there are other factors in my upbringing that I think could have contributed to me feeling out of place in high school.
chloelrd October 6th, 2011 2:27 AM
I hear you! I am an only child and I don’t like it very much, i think that it has made me more closed off to other people. I also feel more lonely, I really wish I had a sibling. All my friends have great relationships with theirs, it would just be nice to have someone from the sam parents etc.
JennaF October 6th, 2011 8:03 AM
I think the problem is not lack of siblings really but lack of unsupervised, unstructured time with other kids. I’m an only child and was lucky enough to have a lot of that — I’d come home from school and go outside and find the neighborhood pack and we’d stay outside until dinnertime. And if it was summer, we’d go back out after dinner.

Kids are different when they aren’t being supervised.

That was easier back in the day, but still possible. I was happy enough being an only child that I had an only child myself. I made sure to find a community that had a lot of free-range-type kids, and she spends more time with friends rather than whomever just happens to be outside, but also is a very socially comfortable creature (at 11).
erin October 6th, 2011 11:04 AM
I think you might have a point about the only child thing, though I don’t know many. However, I think the same might go for eldest kids, since they’ve got no one to look to for advice either. I feel sometimes like you did, and I’ve got a little sister. I think though, that having older siblings does kind of guide you…
WitchesRave October 6th, 2011 12:48 PM
You could drive in sophmore year?
Jeez, we cant drive till we’re 18 in my country..
jeanette October 6th, 2011 2:46 PM
Just to let you know that this diary sounds exactly like what mine would! I love your diary the most because you’re both in England and the same age as me. I thought I was being prepared for the unexpected hot weather today but it was unexpectedly expectedly cold. Like, freezing cold. Like, what the heck! Currently re-watching Arthur too. The new CBBC shows are kinda sucky now. Remember that show, 50/50? & Watch my Chops? Was reminiscing about old shows like that which I’d forgotten. Sighhh!~
- Naomi Morris October 6th, 2011 6:36 PM
  i remember 50/50! that used to be amazing.
Illusen October 6th, 2011 4:00 PM
Dylan- I am also an only child, when i was a kid my parents used to talked about having another baby, after a while, i started crying when they did it because i knew it wasn’t going to happen.
I also think being an only child shaped my personality, in fact, the way you described yourself sound much like me. :)

Naomi- I never liked summer, it burns my skin and makes me sweaty and sleepy!
Cold has its beauty and it’s much “cleaner” than heat, besides (and i don’t care if i look superficial by saying this) winter clothes are so much cuter!
back2thepast October 6th, 2011 7:08 PM
GREAT CAESAR’S GHOST!!! I JUST DISCOVERED THROUGH THE WONDERFUL WIKIPEDIA WORLD THAT ZIGGY MARLEY SINGS THE AURTHUR THEME SONG! HAHAHAHA!
- Naomi Morris October 7th, 2011 6:39 AM
  OH MY GIDDY AUNT.
  that is AMAZING
Izzy October 7th, 2011 10:33 AM
Naomi, I can agree with your post so well! I live in Bradford, in England, and all geared up with my gloves and my jumpers and chunky boots, and then, WHAM! Heat! It just did not feel right…and now it is cold and rainy and windy!
(And I’ll always have a sneaky go on the playground slide)
jessejames October 7th, 2011 3:26 PM
Naomi- i think Arthur was my favorite show for far too long. Did you see the ep. with the World Girl Dolls. It’s hilarious, esp. how the Tibetan doll was discontinued because there weren’t enough accessories.
GraceHF October 8th, 2011 5:33 PM
I’d just like to say that my mom and I are both only children, and it’s working out really well for us. I love being an only child and I don’t feel that I’ve missed out. I think the way you see being an only child depends a lot on how your parents see having an only child.
stellar October 10th, 2011 8:44 PM
yow! i had a best friend in 3rd grade who got taken away by a more aggressive girl who tried to get me to say mean things about her that weren’t true. i was too afraid to say what was going on with that, and regret i didn’t speak up more. later on, i made friends who were alternately catty and nice; just sort of tolerated it. years later, pretty much the same because it feels ‘disloyal’ to point out when something is off. well, that’s a good way to lose potentially better friendships, but maybe they weren’t friendship material to begin with –sometimes just hard to know for sure.

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