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Q

Dear Daniel,

I have a noisy brother. I love him, but sometimes he drives me crazy, especially when I’m trying to do schoolwork. I never seem to find peace, no matter where I go in my house. What can I do?

Charlotte

A

Dear Charlotte,

The only thing worse than a younger brother is a noisy younger brother! I have one, too.

When we were kids, I tried everything to get rid of him. I tried to sell him to the neighbors. I tried to leave him with another family at the supermarket. I tried to trade him for a puppy at the animal shelter. Nobody wanted a noisy little boy. Finally, I put him in a box and mailed him to Alaska. He was so noisy that he caused a small avalanche (雪崩). They sent him back.

OK, I didn’t really do all of these things – but I surely wanted to! I was stuck with him until I could move out. You are too, so make the best of the situation.

Maybe you can make a deal with him. Buy him a toy and tell him he can only have it if he promises to be quiet during your study times. Better yet, give him a toy or game that will take his attention, like a Lego set or a jigsaw puzzle (拼图). These are quiet activities.

Or you can remove yourself from the situation. Bring your books to a local library or cafe. You’ll probably find it’s nice to leave the house by yourself for a few hours.

While you’re out of the house, try to appreciate that you even have a younger brother at all. You will miss him when you’re away at college, and you will miss him even more if you get a job away from home. I’d give almost anything to go back in time and give my noisy little brother a high-five and a big hug. Now I can only wish he’d mail himself to Beijing so we could hang out! Daniel