Senior Column: Andrew McKittrick

Over winter break, my family went to see “Frozen” together. During the song “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” I happened to glance down the row and look at my sisters and mom. All of them were crying.

Four grown girls, sitting in the middle of the theater with tears streaming down their faces during a Disney movie. I knew that the story of sisters and family hit home for them. I took a second to look back and reflect on my childhood. Life with three older sisters as the only boy had been interesting, but I also remembered everything they had taught me along the way.

We have always been close. On family trips to Disney World, all six of us would fit on one golf cart (self-made seatbelts in the back courtesy of our mom). We would spend hours in our backyard, swinging from our tree and dashing across our yard, playing ghost in the graveyard.

And spending time with my family meant that I understood girls and valued family time. Through hours spent talking and playing games with them, I learned lessons that I will remember long after I move away. Every moment with them has been a teaching one, whether they know it or not.

I have learned when to stop talking and to be extra nice when they are feeling “fragile”, as my mom calls it. I have learned to always walk the girl to her door, shake her dad’s hand and make eye contact.

My mom always jokes that I sure will understand girls when I’m married, but I also hope that my sisters understand guys a bit better through me. They have taught me every day of my life, but I also hope they have learned something about the inner workings of a guy from me.

I have learned to value family time more than anything. Board games such as Settlers of Catan or Tiki Topple weren’t just used to fill the time — they taught me the importance of time. Sure, sometimes we fight over stupid things like what to watch on TV but my outlook on the importance of family time wouldn’t be the same without them.

Hours spent catching lightning bugs in our front yard may have been replaced with hours spent watching a movie or reading books on our back porch, but the importance of family is still there.

So yes, I have lived in a house filled with estrogen for the first 18 years of my life. There have been lessons, games and a few tears. That ratio will be flipped next year when I live in a house with 50 other guys and one mom. However, no matter what happens, I’ll always have that extra bit of insight into the what it means to be a family.

 

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