Panicking over school

One thing I will say that pretty much characterizes my brother Loyd: He HATED being the youngest of us two. He could not stand that I got to do things before he did, including going to school. He did not like being left all by himself with the babysitter while I was in class.

I would like to note that Loyd got to do a lot of things that I didn't get to do at that age. He got to go to actual Kindergarten. Because he was in Kindergarten at a church, a photo of the class was featured on a brochure promoting the Kindergarten program there. I got really envious when I saw him and his classmates on that brochure. I guess I felt that other people would see the brochure and think those kids were really special. I wanted people to think I was special.

In addition, Loyd got to "graduate" from Kindergarten. The ceremony involved the students doing presentations and receiving their "diplomas." I never got to graduate from anything until I finished high school. (That's right, I didn't even graduate from junior high school, but that's another story.)

When I was about to start fourth grade, Loyd was getting ready for the first grade. However, he didn't like the idea of being so far behind me. He was 2 1/2 years younger than me, but 3 years behind in school. He told Mom and Dad that he didn't want to go to first grade. He wanted to go to third grade. Mom and Dad responded by saying something like, "Okay, we'll see what we can do." A part of me knew that they were just patronizing him and that he was going to have to go to first grade like everyone else. However, I started going through a range of emotions. I was angry because no one offered this option to me when I was going to school and it kind of looked like Mom and Dad were actually going to do something to make it happen for Loyd. I then started experiencing anxiety at the idea of Loyd being just one year behind me in school. I couldn't stand the thought of him almost always being at the same school I went to.

Fortunately, Loyd went to first grade and the issue was never brought up again. My father told me years later that Loyd got angry after the first day of school because, from his perspective, I went to school the first day and I came home knowing how to read. Loyd was expecting to also know how to read his first day at school and didn't get that accomplished. (As I mentioned before, I knew how to read long before starting first grade.)

Tomorrow, I will post a YouTube video that demonstrates what probably made Loyd a lot more frustrated about being the youngest.