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My World/My Family
By Patty Paddock
I may be the youngest at home, but I'm the "big sis" to my "younger sisters" in the Netherlands, Long Island, and St. Maarten. "How?" you ask?
My Two Families
You see there's the family I was born into—with aunts and cousins in Connecticut, Maryland, and Florida. Then there's my global family. It's made up of my—and my parents'—really close friends, who live in other towns, states, and even countries.
Awesome Visits
The best part of having a global family is that you get to visit them! And whether you visit them, or they visit you, there are cool things you can do together, things you would never do "back home."
For example, I love to ski. But my Dutch "sisters" have never had the chance to try it, since most of the Netherlands is flat—I mean below-sea-level flat! Mariëlle didn't like skiing, but her sister Detta LOOOOVED it. And Detta's become very good, very fast. Now she's almost as good as I am!
I Can be Someone Different
It's also fun to try out different family roles. At home I'm the baby and I get treated like it by my folks (that's good), and my Big Brother (that's bad). With Detta and Mariëlle, I get to be the Big Sister; I can teach them what they don't know, set the rules—even make decisions! Their dad treats me more like a grownup than my own parents do, because I'm older than his daughters.
Gifts from Around the World
For holidays and birthdays, the post office delivers gifts from England, the Netherlands, and St. Maarten. When my dad's sister was in Puerto Rico, and his brother was in Vietnam, we got gifts from there, too. My aunts and uncles always send me stuff the local kids like to play with, wear, and even eat! It's cool to see what kids are doing, wearing, and eating in different parts of the world.
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