The Meaning of Responsibility

  In the course of looking after my younger sister, I learned what responsibility is.

Everybody says that my family is the beneficiary of China’s Second Child Policy, I don’t think so. It is very troublesome to have another child at home. Look, here it comes.

My mother was occupied with her work for a while. Everyday she left home very early in the morning and returned very late so that she had no time to look after my baby sister. I was on my summer vacation at that time, thus my mother suggested that I take care of my baby sister. However, I suggested that a baby-sitter be hired to look after her and I be only responsible for purchasing. My mother said, “It’s very difficult to find a temporary baby-sitter, and you can take a trip with the money saved from hiring a baby-sitter, is it OK ?” The proposal sounded nice to me. I really hoped to get rid of my baby sister’s high-pitched cry and enjoyed the some quiet days, so I took it.

  The first day I stayed alone with my baby sister was really a disaster. According to the schedule my mother gave me, I spent my time on changing her dippers, pouring milk for her, playing toys with her. and I had to put up with her naive requests. Perhaps the water I let her drink was too hot for her, she burst into wailing,  and shouted for mum. I tried my best to comfort her but failed, so I hugged her in my arms telling her that mum is home soon time and time again. Finally my mother returned home when I was on the verge of falling apart. My mother probably felt bad when she saw both of her daughters crying the moment she opened the door. My baby sister kept wailing with her hands clinging to my mother’s legs. My pitiful tears ran down my face. I asked my mother if I can cancel the agreement.

My mother said, “Taking care of your baby sister is not an agreement but your responsibility. Because you are her older sister, you are the one she can depend on, just second to me.”

I never realized I was so important，maybe I was wrong taking it as a payable job to nurse my baby sister. It shall be an integral part of my life to look after her. In the following days, everything went smoothly little by little. If she cried, I would sing a song for her, then she would stop crying and listened to me singing. When we ate cookies together, she would imitate my way of feeding her and fed me in the same way. We would take a nap together at noon. We would wait for my mother to come home at the door hand in hand.

When my mother completed her job, I didn't go for a trip. Because I felt very comfortable at home. More importantly, I realize that responsibility is to finish what I should do heart and soul, not taking into consideration of personal gain and loss，doing my best to make others happy, what left to me will be peace and happiness in my heart.