They keep me honest, they make me better, and they are the ones who are always there. Having younger siblings placed a big responsibility on my shoulders from the moment my older brother moved out for college two years early. It was a shock, but I grew more in high school because of the task of setting a good example for my brothers to follow. I had to say to all the right things, carry myself the right way, and make decisions that I would want them to make later in their high school career. Was I perfect all the time? Of course not, but my job as their older brother was something that weighed on my mind often. I had help them learn from my experiences and mistakes, show them how important school and work ethic was, and most importantly, how to be a better man. My parents of course played a bigger role in this than myself, but I have made it a goal to still stay involved in their lives despite leaving for college.
I like to think I escaped high school/my younger years fairly unscathed as far as poor decisions went, but by no means was I perfect, so I wanted my brothers to learn from my mistakes and experiences. I did and continue to instill in them that it is important to build a positive rapport with any adults they meet in life, especially teachers and employers. I found this very important with my experience getting to know my bosses at the grocery store I worked at. To be a good employee one must know their boss as more than the person who writes their check, and my brothers have both gone above and beyond to build good relationships with adults in their life in both employment and volunteering activities.
Sharing experiences with them has been important as well. I was the kid who ran laps around the track at recess instead of playing dodgeball, and this helped inspire my younger brother to find his passion for running. Nothing came of my running career, but he has excelled at the high school level and I could not be happier for his success.
Work ethic is the most important skill I think to instill in the generation entering the workforce/college now, and I have done my best to help instill that in my brothers. While we did compete on sports teams together such as a summer swim team, it was never about forcing one single activity on them with the intent to make them do it whether they liked it or not. I did my best to set a good example in school by working hard at my classes and going above and beyond; they have more than continued the trend of Wright boys getting great grades. I have always told them to work hard at whatever your passion is. Refine it, become great at it, and stand out for it. This has been different for each one of the Wright brothers, but the effort has never waned from any one of us. From my older brother's exceptional abilities in math to my younger brother's incredible talent on the stage, the sign of a Wright brother is the constant effort to better one's craft.
The last thing I strove to instill in my younger brothers was being a good man. Too often today, young people are categorized as having no respect for those who came before them. Unfortunately, this can be true, but not with the Wright brothers. I have done my best to set a good example on how to respect our parents, women, and people in positions of power of them. Life around the house is much easier when the child to parent relationship is very positive and encouraging. I was always told that I was the problem toddler/child who was threatened to be sent to military school if he did not straighten up, but I turned out alright. I try to help my brothers understand this relationship between child and parent so they can navigate high school just as easily as I did discipline-wise. I also did and continue to instill in my brothers that relationships with others, whether it be friends or romantic, should always remain positive. This may not always be the exciting way to live, but respect for people gets one a lot farther than putting others down for personal gain.
While this list of things I did to help my brothers become better men is long, it is not all-inclusive. By no means am I perfect, but I take pride in the fact that I care about what my brothers become. My parents have done excellent job of raising them to become great young men, and I just am glad to have been a part of it.
