Pink Ribbons

I'll never forget the day my parents sat me down at the kitchen table and asked me how I felt about having a little brother or sister. Most five year olds would be excited...I threw a tantrum and started crying as if this would cause my parents to change their minds. I don't have any recollection as to why I felt so strongly about not wanting a sibling, but things slowly changed as I began to learn more about the excitement of bringing a new baby into our house. I discovered baby things were miniature-sized, like the clothing and the bedding. It was as if I was getting a new baby doll with an entire room to herself!  I thought about dressing her and taking her to school for show and tell. I thought about brushing her hair and putting pink ribbons in it. I thought about sharing my toys and my clothes with her. All of these visualizations were accompanied in my mind by the sweet sounds of birds chirping and soft lullabies.

Then, just as I began to like the idea of a sibling, they hit me with a bombshell. A BOY? What would I do with a boy in my house? My thoughts were shattered; the pink ribbons unravelled from my mind and baseball hats set to the tone of loud honking sirens and fire engines washed over me. Another tantrum unleashed. I couldn't possibly imagine how I would share my toys with a boy. Everything I owned was pink and purple! However, my love for my mom and the joy she was experiencing calmed my imagination and as time went on I was able to put aside my fears and develop a new sense of excitement.

Shortly before my mom was to give birth, my parents found themselves in a dispute over naming their son. They wrote down the names and put them in a hat for me to choose. The name I pulled from the hat was Corey, but I wanted Justin....a tantrum ensued. A few days later on November 17, 1986, Justin Vaillancourt was born.

The years have flown by since that day. The first few years he was the cutest thing I'd ever seen. Between the ages of five and ten he was an annoying little brat. Between ten and twenty, I thought I might strangle him (and actually tried to on several occasions). Today, he is my greatest ally and one of my best friends. We've been through the worst of times and the best of times, together. We share experiences that only we can understand and I wouldn't trade any of them for those pink ribbons that I once longed for.