Category : Stories

Sub Category : YoungAdult

My name is Fred and I have a brother with ectrodactyly which means his hands are different then other people he has 2 fingers on each hand and 2 toes on each foot. You see my brother is like everyone else he has feelings and thoughts and can sometimes be a pain in the butt. But people don't normally see that all people see is a boy with special needs and they feel they need to baby him. I try to tell Mom how I feel that I feel left out and alone sometimes but she rarely hears me I know she loves me and I know my brother loves me and I love him but because of the position I have been left in I had to grow up quickly to care for him and the family I am 12 and I cook clean and care for my family.
I love my family but sometimes it's hard and stressful.
I am not mad at my brother I am mad at the way people see my brother and the way they see me. When we meet new people the first thing they talk about is my brother they spend hours talking to him and ignore me it's hard being left out One of the things that hurt the most is when people sometimes my own family compare us. My grandfather says Carl can do this and this and Fred can't but Fred is such a help. A help I am the help? My brother has had 4 surgeries to help with mobility he goes to Shriners the problem is Shriners is 10 hours away. So Carl and Mom take the train for finance reasons and I get left alone at home I normally don't hear from Mom until she gets home and when I go with them to Shriners I am invisible the people at Shriners see Carl and Mom not me they don't see that when Carl was in double casts I was his legs and carried him around,  I was the one who hauled his wheelchair to and from the car.
 As I had said before I love my brother and my family it's just hard sometimes I am writing this short story because sometimes people don't see behind the curtain of a special needs family and how the special needs member isn't the only one going through stressful situations.