THE NEW BEGINNING



« What are you going to name him ?! » « What are you going to name him ?! » I cried as my parents told me the wonderful news : I was going to have a little brother !  « I don’t know. » my mother admitted.  « How about Gabriel ? » I suggested.  « Nah » « It’s not my favorite. » my older brother, Alex, said.
Months passed and my mother’s  stomach grew larger , which meant that the baby was growing too.  Still, my parents had not yet found a name.  During the time that I spent at home, I would put my hand on mom’s stomach and feel my little brother’s feet kicking away.
Then the day came when dad said that it was time for mom to go to the hospital for the night.  The plan was that Alex and I would spend the night at our friends house across the street because my father was going to stay with our mom.
Before I fell asleep, I kept telling Alex about my thoughts.  I was truly, very excited.
The next morning, we got a phone call from our dad telling us to get washed and dressed for the day.  As we finished our breakfast, he came to pick us up.
We rode to the hospital in silence, too excited for words.  When we walked into  mom’s room, she was wide awake carrying a newborn baby in her arms.  I was so happy I started jumping around like a maniac until they finally let me hold him.  Once in my arms, I grew quiet. Very gently, I stroked his tiny head.  He was as soft as a little lamb.  I also noticed that he had red spots all over his body.  « What’s his name ? » I said softly. « Nicholas. » my mother replied.  I liked that name, I thought to myself, I liked it a lot.
Now that I had a little brother, responsibility was at it’s highest.  From then on I had to learn how to be patient, gentle, and so on. 
Now that I think about it, I know for a fact that having a younger brother will definitely give me a taste of how to work with children.  Even today, I am still learning to try not to yell at my brother when he does something wrong.  So now I know that I still have a lot to learn in the years to come.


GISELLE, 12 Jahre aus Los Angeles, (2005)