In school they make sure you know, among other things, when and how to use proper capitalization. They start teaching you these rules of grammar in 1st grade, and by 3rd grade you should really have it down.
What they don't tell you in school though, what they somehow forget to tell you even though they live with you and play Gobblet with you, and kiss you good night, and are entrenched in the daily interaction between you and other family members, is this:
Sometimes, the fence separating common nouns from proper nouns gets flattened by a persistent rogue word , who then sneakily wanders over the fallen posts and into the other pasture, taking up permanent residence there. He does this because his parents, doing only what came naturally, began using his new relationship title as the only form of addressing him the minute after you, his baby sister were born.
"Here Brother, do you want to hold her?"
"I think she likes you, Brother!"
then to you - "Look, Brother's got you! Yes, you like Brother, don't you?"
It was all very new and sweet and somehow the name stuck without anybody realizing it until several years and another sister later, somebody overhears you call to him, and looks amusedly at your mother.
"Brother? They call him Brother?"
"Yeah", she says, wondering mildly if she should be embarrassed. "They do. He IS their only one you know". Indeed. What did they expect you to call him?
And then suddenly, Baby Sister, you are 8 years old and you wrestle with 3rd grade Spelling.
One day, after carefully writing out your list words, you bring them to your mother for her approval, and stand beside her while she reads:
reaches
gather
bother
Brother
charge
thunder
Your mother smiles and you want to know what's funny. "Nothing", she tells you. "You did great....your handwriting is very neat today, and you spelled them perfectly".
You grin proudly, and go off to find your American Girl book and a quiet place in the sunlight.
For the time being, Brother is still safe as a proper noun.
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