I just reread my description of growing up with a HG+ older brother and realized that I did not clarify that I was describing my experience as I perceived it *as a child*. I just thought how mortified he would be if he ever saw what I had written. He is a very kind soul and always meant well. But because he was so smart and so intense and yet a child, he did not always make decisions that were easy on us. At 8, he would have lacked the perspective to do what was developmentally appropriate for a 3 year old and 5 year old sister--he wanted us to be like him and not discover our own selves. But, I, at 3, knew he was perfect, so I worked very hard to please him.
It was hard on me, but I also wanted to make the point (which got lost somewhere in my whining) that it also made him grow up even faster since he had to take on more adult responsibilities and help out more, because he wanted to please my parents more. I know he loves us and is proud of us, but I always wondered if he would have been a bit happier without us.
