answer:I’m the youngest child and grand child. The oldest sister is 14 years older and the closest one in age is six years older. The parents were 37 and 39 when I was born, which was considered old at that time. Most of the friends had much younger parents who seemed more involved in their children’s lives than mine were. When I headed off to college, Mom said, “I cried when your oldest sister left, but I am glad to see you go.” After college, I was home for a brief time before heading off to the big city to find a job. Mom said, “Here is some money for a meal on the train. It is the last meal I am buying for you.” When I got my own apartment, she said, “I will never show up on your doorstep unannounced, and I expect the same from you.” In all three of these cases, offense could have been taken, but I understood her point. It was a way of saying, “You are learning about growing up and adulthood.” Today, I am 48 and she is 85. I suspect that we have a stronger friendship bond than the other siblings do because, while she played the ‘mother’ card, she was good at treating me as an adult.