Older Siblings and Strawberry Lemonade

Awesome older siblings are the best thing ever. You know they love you enough to let you get away with some things, but also love you enough to be reasonable. At the same time, they know when you’re pushing them too far, and respond accordingly, at the same that they’re very sharing. Even though I only have one older sibling, I think she’s the best one ever. At the same time that we have loads of fun, I do know my boundaries. Take the following example for instance:

Sarah’s talking.
Her water bottle, filled with strawberry lemonade, is sitting on the desk next to her.
I grab the water bottle, open it.
She doesn’t see me at first.
I take a sip and grin.
She looks over.
I sip some more.
She give me that older sister level one cut-it-out look.
I know it’s non-threatening.
I drink a little more.
She keeps talking.
I sip again.
She gives me that older sister level two cut-it-out look.
I grin and sip some more.
I know I’m dangerously close to physical threat now.
She finishes what she’s saying.
I grin and sip some more.
She gives me that older sister level three cut-it-out look.
I know that I won’t get away without a penalty because I’ve brought it this far.
I grin, sip some more, close the top, hand it back, and giggle deviously.
She whacks me on the head with the water bottle.
“Ah-ha-ha-ow!”

I knew the levels were progressing. And I knew not to drink the whole thing. I knew to hand it back at the point that would not evoke serious physical or psychological turmoil. And it was because she had set those levels, those guidelines, and those consequences in previous entanglements.

Also, there is a fine line between being seriously annoying, and being funnily annoying. This exchange was camped in the latter of the two arenas. She didn't really mind that I drank some of her lemonade, this also had been previously established in past situations. However, it would have been seriously annoying for me to drink the whole thing.

I know right where I am, what I’m allowed to do without being seriously annoying, but what’s still considered teasingly funny. However, teasingly funny has its levels, and even results in teasing consequences. I know where the line is, but testing it is sure a lot of fun, as long as it doesn’t cross the line into seriously annoying.

Besides, it was worth the strawberry lemonade.