"Don't Be such a Tattle Tale"

Those words quickly bring me back to my childhood. A smile spreads across my face as I think of all of the opportunities that presented themselves for me to be the "ultimate tattle tale". As the youngest child and only girl, I was completely fine with informing my parents of my older brothers' indiscretions (especially my one brother...does that "middle child" complex really exist or is that just a way of trying to explain away my brother's poor decision-making ???). I thrived on the fact that I had "dirt" to hang over my brothers' heads when they threatened to inflict physical harm on me or when they thought it would be funny to exclude me from that days activity. Oh, and trust me, I had an unbelievable memory when it came to the wrongdoings of my older siblings. If need be, I would go into the archives in order to have leverage over said individuals. It's all about timing. Add the fact that I was (and still am) a TOTAL RULE follower and you have an equation for many a fight! Let's just say, it didn't take too long for my brothers to realize not to mess with the runt of the litter! I had a memory like an elephant, I was a bit on the feisty side and, worse case scenario, I always had my mom to hide behind in times of sheer desperation.
The reason for this blast from the past was that I spent the last week on vacation in Door County with my brother, his wife and their 2 sons (Ryan 10 & Nathan 7). Gotta love the "brotherly love" that they have for one another. I sat back and smiled when I heard the words uttered in disgust, "Don't be such a tattle tale!" Oh to be 7 or 8 again!