I have been home on winter break from college for about a week now, and as the big sister, I have a lot of responsibilities to take on... again. I have two younger brothers, and they are both old enough to take care of themselves. However, they can be pretty lazy at times, and don’t exactly help out my mom in the ways that I used to, and the ways that they should.

While my parents have been at work and my brothers have been in school, I have been left alone to either sit on the couch and slowly, but surely, become a couch potato, or be productive and clean the house from top to bottom. Since I’m weird and do not enjoy doing nothing for too long, I have chosen to wash several loads of laundry, clean up things in various rooms, vacuum, do the dishes, and wrap presents. I have taken out the recycling and picked up dog poop a few times as well, and these last two things are supposed to be my brothers’ chores. I am so glad to be home!

Although it may seem so, I really am not complaining...that much. Most of my friends are still in school, so I need to be doing something useful with my time anyway. I might as well help out my family because I love them and want the best for them. I am still an important component to this household and they need me. (I really thought they would crash and burn once I left for college, but surprisingly, they’ve managed!)

I sincerely have been enjoying helping out my family. What really warms my heart is when the youngest of my two brothers hugs me when he comes home from school. He did not want to admit that he missed me while I was at college, and on my occasional visits home he would not say hello, but instead ask, “You’re back again?” A few times, he has asked me to help with his homework and rub his back so he could fall asleep, and I gladly did it for him. We have been chatting a bit before he falls asleep as well. When he asks me questions and tells me about the funny things that happened during his day, I know that he really has missed having me around.

My family is very busy, but right now, I am not. I really am not used to having nothing to do, so it is nice to have time on my hands to do things for them. In high school, I did not have a lot of time to talk to my brothers. I would go to school, my college class, work, and then do my homework assignments. Everybody had, and still has, very different schedules, and we rarely ate dinner together. However, now that my schedule is basically free, I can wait at home for them and catch up before they leave again to go to work, or to practice, or to the gym.

I am more than happy to be home for the holidays, where I am truly appreciated and loved. I am happy to be spending quality time with my family.