Weighing the military option - Teens in Print

OPINIONSOPINIONSOPINIONSOPINIONSOPINIONSOPINIONSOPINIONSIN YOUR FACEPhoto by: Artists for HumanityOPINIONSOPINIONSOPINIONSOPINIONSOPINIONSOPINIONSOPINIONSOPINIONSHow siblingspush your buttonsBy Tyrell Polk // T.i.P. Staff WriterOne of the greatest battles that has beengoing on since the beginning of humankindis the battle between siblings. It’s either thebrother who annoys the sister or the sister whoannoys the brother. And it doesn’t matter whatage or sex the siblings are. If you have them, theyprobably annoy you.There are certain things all siblings do to irritateeach other. It starts with the fact that siblingsknow what annoys each other so they zeroin on these vulnerable spots. Let’s face it. No onepushes buttons as well as a brother or sister.Here are some classic tactics that siblings useto irritate one another.■ They follow you around the house. There isnothing as annoying as being followed everywhere.It creates a lack of privacy and is obnoxious.It’s right up there with copying everythingyou say.■ They snitch on you. When they tell on you, itonly hurts them. You can’t trust them any moreand then your chances at friendship are shot.■ They talk too much. Some sibs talk for the solepurpose of making you mad, and go on and on tomake you crazy. Often, they ask you countless,meaningless questions.■ They do stupid things. The list is endless butone classic strategy is to quietly pick up thephone and listen in on your conversations. Anyaction that falls in the “spying” category is obnoxiousbut it’s a favorite especially among youngerbrothers and sisters.Now if you want to get on your siblings’ goodside for a change, here’s what you should do.You may even catch them off guard and win thesibling war.★ Do nice things. For no reason, buy yoursibling something from the store. Can you imaginetheir shock?★ Don’t ever snitch. This builds trust betweensiblings, something you will need when you haveto form an alliance against the parental unit.★ Respect their things and space. Don’t be all upon them. Give your siblings some breathing roomand they will return the favor.★ Look for ways to help each other. Help eachother get out of jams with parents or cover foreach other.★ If all this advice fails, just stay away fromone another.4 / T.i.P. / BOSTON TEENS IN PRINT / MARCH 2006