Squeezing into Smaller Shoes

Two people can sit and talk to each other for hours on end, but there is something that people simply cannot find out about each other in an intellectual setting. Even casually chatting on the phone or online. You will never truly know the nature of a person unless you see that person being silly.
Reread that last sentence. It's quite true. "You will find out more about a person's character in one hour of play than in ten hours of debate", or so some dead philosopher paraphrased. There is an odd sort of intimacy that comes with having had a good time with someone. While this certainly does not mean tossing root beer on our siblings or jumping off the roof because, as you joked, you thought you could fly, it plays a hand in how older siblings relate to their younger siblings.
There is a season for crying and a season also for laughing, and people often miss that last part. We can get so caught up in our own "grownup" affairs, so bent on doing our own thing, so distracted by hefty schedules and loads of school or house work, that we forget to be little kids again. We forget how to make a huge mess with caramel apples, gets crumbs in our lap from a sandwich, even forget how to blow a perfect soap bubble. We older siblings have a duty to cater to the needs of littler ones by getting on their levels, shrugging aside our "mature" restraints, and making a point not to act our age.
There is a fine line between immaturity and getting on the level with a younger sibling. Our job is to find that line, darken it with a Sharpie, and make a point not to cross it. Have you found that line yet?
There will be days when our little siblings will want to don a briefcase and suit, and playact at being grownups. But there has to be a mutual exchange of interests when you interact with your siblings. You will be able to tie a stronger knot if no two sides out-balance the other. Share ideas and hobbies and pastimes, always share. Younger siblings are so open and honest and ready to play being "big people"; let's make sure we don't forget how to toss off our big-sibling shoes, don a goofy hat, and eat chocolate cookies at that tea party!
-Pip