Sibling err..... Rivalry?....

"When are you going to write something about me?" asked my second child when his sister told him that Ibu wrote a little piece on her. "What do you want me to write about you?" I asked him back. "Well, .. anything. Anything about me". Now, come to think about it, for the whole 9 years of his life, we have shared a lot. Happy times, not-so-happy times, bad times, worrying times, fun times, you name it.

Hakim was born on March 30, 2000. He was a good baby - hardly cried, colic-free baby. Unlike my "scary" experience with my eldest (he cried every day between 9.00 p.m. to 3.00 a.m. without fail until he is 3 month old leaving me in a phobic state), Hakim was an angel.

Hakim did not utter a word until he was about 2 years old. It managed to scare us a bit that we consulted a paediatrician but was told that children have different milestones, different levels of development. She kept reassuring us that Hakim will be talking soon. He did. & it seems like he has been repressing himself all the while. He talked and he talked. When he does not know the word that describe what he is trying to say, he "created" his own word for it. Those were the days.

We sent him to a kindi when he is 4. Always being the more studious one, he will do his homework immediately after coming back from school - a habit he continues until today. He asked questions after questions on things that he does not understand. He tried to outdo his older brother in almost everything - sometimes he succeeded, sometimes he failed. But whatever the result is, it will never dampen his spirit. He just want to do better. He is not scared of public speaking - he volunteered to speak during school assembly, he participated in story telling competitions, he participated in quizzes, drawing competitions, anything that draws his attention.

But Hakim has many faults - he is temperamental; getting too big for his head at times especially when he scored better than his older brother; though he is the more playful one compare to his older brother, he yells at his younger siblings when they are not behaving; he plays tricks on them sometimes until they cry (then is when Ibu takes control)- to his younger siblings, he is a brother who they can play with but should not displease; and, he is a grumpy traveller (during the journey but he is OK when we arrived at our destination).

A few times his behaviour when he is with his siblings get me so worried. What if my son bullies his schoolmates? What if he is a rude student at school? But so far, the feedback that I received from his teachers are quite favourable - no, he is not naughty at school; no, he does not disturb his friends in class; in fact, he is on the quiet side. Hmmm... Perhaps he is already so naughty at home that he does not have to be at school.

To me, he is my son. Though I have to work harder on him (behaviour wise) than his other siblings, I love him so very much. He has his softer side too. He can be gentle and nice, he can be very generous as well - in fact, he will be the first to put his pocket money in any donation box compared to anyone else in the family. He does not care if he has no more money to spend for himself. That's my Hakim, my son, my companion, my pillar of strength and at times, my sidekick. He is still 9 year old - please, do not judge.