When I was first given this assignment, I had trouble deciding who to write the paper on. For years, I’ve fought a mental battle, trying to prevent people from influencing me— I want to have my own opinions and beliefs. But I realized that the influence didn’t need to concern views or interests. It could be about how somebody had influenced my behaviors, my coping mechanisms, my view of myself. I knew who to write my paper on. An important influence in my life has been my older brother, Matthew Hopke.
Matt is 12 years older than me. And since I was little, he’s always been one of my favorite people. One time, when I was around five years old, my mother said or did something which made me mad. I threw a tantrum, stomped up the stairs and slammed doors, and threw myself onto my bed, sobbing. From downstairs, the words “go deal with her,” drifted up. A minute or so later, he was sitting on the edge of my bed, asking what the stairs did to me. The words coaxed a giggle from me, and I began to calm down. He explained why our mother had done whatever had set me off, and told me how I should …show more content…
While our sister has put rules in place (“I’ll always love you, as long as you don’t…”) and our parents sometimes forget to say the words, Matt’s always made sure that I feel loved. When I was a toddler, I insisted on hanging out with him while I recovered from scarlet fever, and yet, he still gives me advice when I ask for it. When I was a child, I was obnoxious and bratty, and yet he still hugs me so fiercely that my feet lift off the ground. Nowadays, I’m a sarcastic, bitter person with radical opinions, and yet he still smiles at me every time we’re in the same room. I’ve never met anybody else who is so generous with affection and so forgiving of past misdeeds. But his genuine care over the years has shown me that it doesn’t matter what types of mistakes I’ve made, I can still be
Matt is 12 years older than me. And since I was little, he’s always been one of my favorite people. One time, when I was around five years old, my mother said or did something which made me mad. I threw a tantrum, stomped up the stairs and slammed doors, and threw myself onto my bed, sobbing. From downstairs, the words “go deal with her,” drifted up. A minute or so later, he was sitting on the edge of my bed, asking what the stairs did to me. The words coaxed a giggle from me, and I began to calm down. He explained why our mother had done whatever had set me off, and told me how I should …show more content…
While our sister has put rules in place (“I’ll always love you, as long as you don’t…”) and our parents sometimes forget to say the words, Matt’s always made sure that I feel loved. When I was a toddler, I insisted on hanging out with him while I recovered from scarlet fever, and yet, he still gives me advice when I ask for it. When I was a child, I was obnoxious and bratty, and yet he still hugs me so fiercely that my feet lift off the ground. Nowadays, I’m a sarcastic, bitter person with radical opinions, and yet he still smiles at me every time we’re in the same room. I’ve never met anybody else who is so generous with affection and so forgiving of past misdeeds. But his genuine care over the years has shown me that it doesn’t matter what types of mistakes I’ve made, I can still be