Has your relationship with your siblings changed over the years?

The answer to this one is, 'of course'. When we were younger I looked to my older sister as an example. We shared a bedroom all the years until Sheila left home when she was seventeen and as we grew older I remember talking for hours after bedtime, listening to the experiences of someone three years older and three years more independent. Nowadays we are equals and we can still talk for hours sharing experiences in a way that I imagine only siblings brought up with a common bond in a happy family can do.

When my brother was born, I was almost five and I was very jealous. I think I felt displaced in my parent's affections. I had always been told I was a Daddy's girl and it was now obvious that a new baby not only took a lot of my Mum's time and attention but the fact that he was a BOY seemed very important to them. I certainly remember feeling very jealous and acting out with attention seeking tantrums.

He was sick once as a baby and had some medicine that I remember flushing down the toilet as I didn't want him to get better! As he grew up he seemed to get away with a lot of things that I felt we would never have done. As he was a bit younger I was at school while he was at home and we never actually went to the same school at the same time, so our circles were very different. Family times we always all spent together and I don't remember any particular disagreements.

Nowadays I enjoy his company and his sense of humour, he's always good for a laugh!