This past Sunday I had my first date with my new little sister. Leading up to the big day, I was agonizing over what activity to do with her. I now totally feel for guys and the pressure they must feel trying to impress on the first date. Being the thoughtful man that Brian is, he reached out to his buddy Jeremy who has been volunteering as a big brother for the last few years for ideas. Jeremy sent me these…
– Hiking
– Fishing
– Bowling
– Movies
– Eating
– Frozen Yogurt
– Museum
– Go to the park
– Miniature golf
– Archery
I immediately knew fishing and archery were out. Granted, I’ve only met Ana once but she didn’t strike me as a girl who would like archery. I did like the idea of miniature golfing though and I am always down for a frozen yogurt date. I wrote Jeremy back thanking him for the ideas…I also asked him if it was normal to be nervous. To which he replied…
“Absolutely. Definitely normal to be nervous. It’s like a first date, except harder because they don’t have a good grasp of the art of conversation. I think in the 3 1/2 years with my little brother the number of questions he’s asked me is still in the single digits.”
HA. Noted. With that said I ended up deciding I would give her three options when I picked her up…The Natural History Museum, miniature golfing & bowling. Giving her options seemed like the safest way to go on a first date.
When I arrived at her house I was warmly greeted by her father. Seriously, he like the sweetest human ever. Ana was dressed and ready to go so we hoped in my car. When I told her my ideas she quickly said, “I like museums!”. So the Natural History Museum is where we went! The afternoon went much smoother than I thought it would. While she didn’t ask me anything about myself (you were right Jeremy!) she’s very talkative and open so it was easy to keep the conversation going. I loved getting to know more about her family and background. For four hours I was totally immersed in her world…from boys and school…to the world of minions (clearly, I need to see the movie Despicable Me).
When I got home from our date I felt lighter and it dawned on me…I didn’t think about myself once during our time together…all my stresses and concerns were a million miles away.
I’m not sure who’s going to benefit more from this friendship.
365til30.com 
How wonderful! I’m so glad it turned out well for you and Ana. Minions are a big deal in my house! My youngest daughter, Lainie, is a big fan. We even looked up how to speak the minion language: it’s bizarre but hilarious at the same time. Luckily, movies like Despicale Me 1 and 2 have a lot of jokes that play to the adults, otherwise it would drive me crazy 🙂 Maye that could be your next date! Popcorn and Frank and Despicable Me at your place!
There’s a minion language?!!? Oh my! I better get studying!
I love that next date idea! What a cozy way to spend an afternoon:)
Sounds like you had fun! History museums are always great because they provide great conversation starters just by looking at the exhibits. And well teenagers are generally narrow-minded at that age (not a bad thing, we all once were) and lack the self-awareness that the world doesn’t revolve around them and their problems so they forget to ask questions about anything that doesn’t involve them.
And yes Despicable Me is a must see (at least the first one). Steve Carrell provides the voice of Gru and is pretty amazing.
You are so right about History Museums being great conversation starters. It was a tremendous help!! If you say Despicable Me is a must see than I WILL! I’m a huge fan of Steve Carrell:)
Ana must be incredible to like museums at her age. And, yes, it needs to be all about her in the beginning. So glad I’m still friends with my little sister who is now 35! Being a big sister is part friendship, being the parent she doesn’t have, confidant, being her rock. Certain things that I hoped would imprint, well, I didn’t find out that they did make the impression I’d hoped for until 15+ years later! For this reason, I hope you can stay in touch forever.
P.S. After a year my life got hectic, so I called my little sister and said: Hey, I’m not going to be a big sister formally anymore because every once in a while I may have to miss a week. But we’re going to keep going and keep our get-together-every-week thing happening. And we did. Through my 2 kids, her 2 kids, my divorce, her first job, first car and ups and downs with significant others. My family and many of my friends know her and have been resources for her to this day. It’s a great thing. More family!
Hattie, what an absolutely beautiful story! Seriously, it really touched my heart. How amazing you guys are still in each other’s lives all this time later. It reminds me how powerful human connection can be. Thank you for sharing this with me. I only hope Ana and I can do the same. It must be so special to see your little grow into an adult. Yes, MORE FAMILY!!