Are You a Celebrity?

A celebrity is a widely-recognized or famous person who commands a high degree of attention.

I have recently noticed something that I thought would be interesting to post about and possibly get some good feedback on. I am not meaning to create controversy or hurt feelings, I simply want us all to think about our standings in our families in hopes of eliminating what I like to call the "celebrity status". I know parents say that they love each kid equally but come on... that may be what they say but actions tend to speak louder than words. Is it just me or have others noticed that families have their own celebrities... parties cannot and will not be the same without them. The show cannot go on without them, they are the ones that get all the positive attention and they are the ones that everyone else gets compared to. I have a really good friend who is not the celebrity in his/ or her family (much like myself) and no matter what he/ or she does it NEVER measures up to the "celebrity sibling". This friend of mine is a really good person, fun, nice, considerate of others, makes right decisions, great spouse... but when the celebrity is around, my friend is just... in the way, unimportant, irritating, and not validated. This friend has been living like this forever and cant seem to over come the "B list" status. Do your families have their "celebrity"? Are you that celebrity? Are you like me and my friend... always over shadowed by the "celebrity"?

Here are some things you might hear if you are NOT the celebrity:

"Too bad everyone is here but (insert celebrity) its just not gonna be the same." (You arent fun)
"I wish (insert celebrity) were here." (This indicates your company is less appreciated.)

Celebrities will also instantly steal the spotlight whenever they enter a room... you become instantly invisible when the celebrity enters the room... its like everyone scrambles for an autograph while you are left standing alone and you swear you can hear crickets chirping around you. Don't feel bad... we are a society who worships celebrities. Its not ok for families to do this... here are some suggestions...

If you are the celebrity... dont allow others to treat people poorly so you can get your celebrity treatment.... include everyone and validate the non celebrity when he or she has a point to be made. Stand up for the underdog and show respect.

If you are the non celebrity you have two choices... you can be content that your family treats you like a second class citizen or... you can live your life trying to be the celebrity that you can never be unless your family changes their ways... confronting the family will only drive your family to love the celebrity more because he or she is not the complainer.

So which one are you? Do you have this in your family?