When I was 7, my family moved to a new neighborhood because we were expecting my younger brother (child #7). Next door was a young couple with a poodle. I soon became a fixture next door, the couple becoming like another set of parents to me, giving me the opportunity to be an only child, if only for a few hours. I would help them do yard work and such. When they did have children – a boy, then a girl – I was pretty much a big sister to them, and would readily babysit. To this day, I still call the wife “Mom”, and acknowledge her on days like today.
When I was 7, my family moved to a new neighborhood because we were expecting my younger brother (child #7). Next door was a young couple with a poodle. I soon became a fixture next door, the couple becoming like another set of parents to me, giving me the opportunity to be an only child, if only for a few hours. I would help them do yard work and such. When they did have children – a boy, then a girl – I was pretty much a big sister to them, and would readily babysit. To this day, I still call the wife “Mom”, and acknowledge her on days like today.