After getting cheered up in the 'Getting Older - Men's section, The mind had a wander way back when...
Back in the 50s families were mostly bigger and there were a lot more kids of various ages in your what is called today your social support group or some such waffle.
what it meant was 'our street'
Mothers mostly stayed at hope, there were no disposable nappies and little kids really were a full time job.
So who 'looked after' aka, 'made sure you didn't kill yourself and came home for your tea'?
Big Sisters - that's who.
They were the Sergeant's, they ran everything, leaving The Colonel in Chief aka Yer Mars to look after babies...anybody who didn't go to school.
Older Brothers? Nah gtf - didn't wanna know...and, back in those days weren't expected to.
They had sensible, no nonsense names Susan, Margaret, Doreen.
The only authority they had was being 5,6,7, years older than you, which back then was all you needed.
They ran everything.
They even helped run...under the watchful eye of an actual adult our local Cubs, 2 or 3 off them easily handled 20 odd 8 to 10 yr olds
Can you imaging today's 15 yr olds doing that
Let's hear it for (other peoples) big sisters...not mine obvs, she was a power mad sadistic despot...just kidding Sis