How will you respect elders? Does respect really earned? Are you the eldest in the family? Will you be a good model to your younger siblings? And how will you show it to them?
I am the eldest in the family. Being the eldest wasn't easy. You need to follow orders of your parents. Why you need to follow them? Aside from respect to the parents, you need to follow so that your siblings will do the same. What you will do is essential for your siblings as they grow. See? It wasn't easy. Like you need not to do a mistake because your siblings might done it too.
There was a time that I felt so unfair. It was the time when my siblings went to 'ilaja' , it is the place in our hometown where children played a lot. I wasn't able to play cause I easily get sick so I stayed at home. Now, my siblings went there and played with their playmates and most of them were our cousins. My father told me to go to ilaja to follow my siblings and tell them to went home. So, I went there and looked for them but they're nowhere to be found cause they're hiding from the 'taya'. They're playing hide and seek that time, so my cousin who was taya told me to wait for them. It took 15 minutes or more I think before they were found. So, it also took 15 minutes before we arrived home. But when we arrived home, we saw our father holding two pieces of broom sticks. As we getting near the door of our house, our father told us to get inside. My brother was the one who get inside first and he felt the pain as father hit him the sticks. He cried and my sisters follow. As I was the one to get inside, I felt the pain as he hit me too. Like what, wait?! Why e included me? I was the one who look for them and yet I was punished too? Our father told us to knee in front of the altar. We were crying that time. Though I want to say something, I never tried to cause I might get another hit. My siblings look at me but I didn't mind them as I closed my mouth and just cried silently. When father told us to go to our room, my siblings told me they're sorry. I didn't answered them and just continue my drawing. It was the time, I told myself that I will not follow my father if he'll ask me to look for my siblings. So the next time my father told me to look for them, I told him, I don't want to cause I might also receive a hit from him and be punished too. But he insisted, this time I followed him and told my siblings to hurry cause they might get punished. This time, my father didn't hit me cause I told him before I followed his command.
My father always telling me to be a good model to my siblings. I did what he told. I never done things that will make them think of me as an irresponsible daughter. I want my siblings to see me as a good eldest sibling to them. I still remember the days as we talked to each other what were our ambition and dream in the future. We talked about things we want to be as we grow older. We talked about our plans and dreams for our parents. We don't want to be like our mother's side that doesn't have peace cause they always have argument because of money. We want to be our father's side who loved and care with each other. We want to respect each other us siblings. Yes, we had fight sometimes but we know that we can't leave each other behind.
As their eldest, I want to show them that respect is earned. If you know how to respect everyone especially the elders, they will also show respect to you. I show them that respect is vital in our society. If others won't respect other people, we should not be like them and follow their steps cause those kind of people will never reach their dreams as they get older. Our father was also the eldest in their family. And we saw how his siblings respect him even if he have lots of siblings as his parents parents another. As his father died, his mother married again and found new family, still, his half siblings respect him so much and show him that they love him. I want to feel that love from my siblings, that is why even if I got hurt by my siblings, I still need to understand them because that what my father told me. My siblings asked me advices. I am not a perfect Ate but I want them to know that I am always there for them. They know if I am mad and they know if my anger fades already. They know me what I can do if I am mad so they don't like me to get mad always.
I am just so glad that my siblings respect me as their Ate. Yes, we had a fight sometimes but we always forgive. We don't say "sorry" , as long as we talked, that's it already. We don't want to fight in front of our parents cause we know they'll get hurt if we do so. And though we're all old enough, we still reprimanded by our parents if they noticed us done a mistake. As long as we're together, we will not forget each other of showing the love as siblings. The feeling of respect is immeasurable, the love they show to you is priceless too.
Respect begets respect ☺