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Anyone “lucky” enough to have a brother or sister or multiples of both certainly knows what sibling rivalry is. It is defined as a competition or animosity among your siblings. It starts according to studies at the age of one when children become sensitive to the way they perceive their parental treatment. It is also affected by personality and experiences outside the family.
I grew up with an older brother and two younger sisters. My brother was not very kind to me. He often thought of things that I felt he should get punished for, but he did not. I remember him throwing darts in my leg instead of handing them back to me. I remember my parents telling us to settle arguments by putting the boxing gloves on. He was six years older than me! Had we used the stat chart they use on TV for boxing, you would see that he weighed more, had a longer reach, a powerful punch, and a mean streak. I thought this showed very bad parenting skills.
I suppose my sisters would tell you that I was not always kind to them either. I would scare my one sister as often as I could and my brother and I used to tell my youngest sister she was adopted. We thought it was very funny. They had a different opinion. And, because they were girls, I always felt “Mom loved them best”.
Happily, as we get older, siblings tend to become a bit more understanding and relish the relationships with their brothers and sisters. Although, according to statistics, about one-third of adults describe their relationship with siblings as distant and still thought of as a rivalry.
I bring this up for two reasons: 1) I am actually watching the NBA playoffs. I guess the Sixers are responsible, but I find I am enjoying the games. 2) Steph Curry and Seth Curry will be playing against each other in the NBA Western Conference Finals. It is the first time in NBA history that two brothers will play against each other in a conference or NBA final.
Their parents, Dell Curry and Sonya Curry, will be in the position of rooting for no one or rooting for everyone. They need to be careful not to favor one or the other. Both brothers said their mother gets very stressed out when they play each other. But both are very supportive having traveled to Oakland, Portland, Los Angeles, Houston, and Denver. They have missed just two games. Mom says one parent will wear Blazers colors and the other will wear the Warriors.
The two have played against each other nine times and Steph has won seven, but both losses came this year. This is sibling rivalry at its best – nothing like catching darts!
ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)
- Speaking of the NBA, Lehigh University’s CJ McCollum is the hero for the Portland Trail Blazers as he scored 37 points and had nine rebounds in the Game 7 win over the Denver Nuggets. He also had a huge block to stop a layup late in the fourth quarter. Now they take on the Warriors in the conference finals. It’s the first time for the Blazers in 12 years.
- The Sixers were eliminated on an unbelievable shot at the buzzer by Kawhi Leonard. I find this hard to believe but it was the first Game 7 buzzer-beater in NBA history. The game was really lost when, in the final three minutes, the Sixers were called for three shot clock violations. Three straight possessions by the Sixers ended without a shot.
- After poor starts, the Red Sox and the Cubs have rebounded dramatically to win as expected. The Cubs are 24-14 as of Monday morning after a 2-7 start. And the Red Sox started 6-13 only to be at 22-19 now. “The cream rises…”
- Aaron Rodgers was in this past Sunday’s episode of Game of Thrones. He has been a fan since day one and shot a promo for the show. He was hoping to be killed off or be in a steamy scene. Neither happened.
- The Eagles signed a fourth quarterback this week. Cody Kessler, who has been with the Browns and the Jaguars, joins Nate Sudfeld, Clayton Thorson, and Carson Wentz on the roster. It makes you wonder if there is even a greater concern about Wentz’s health and stamina.
