SIBLING
ADVENTURES
I come from a
big family, and I LOVE IT! I actually have no idea how people without siblings
even function.
As a first
born you would think I hated having a sibling come after me but from my
childhood I have always had a sibling around. My cousin was my sibling before
my sister came along so I have always had someone else in my life to share life
with.
Over the years I have seen how our relationship has siblings has grown
and changed as well. I remember how we would fight and argue when we were
younger over the silliest things. Now it makes no sense but at that time it was
a huge deal. And there was no one who was allowed to ever bully one of my
siblings or for sure you would get it. I recall my little brother always using
my name in defense when other neighborhood kids were being mean to him, yes, I had
quite the reputation
Then there is
the aspect of your siblings copying everything you do. It was great when it was
a good thing, but when it was bad, the oldest always got all the blame.
Sometimes even all the punishment. It was a tricky balance but still great fun.
Most of the
time when people talk about their siblings they refer to the past when they
were kids, for me I want to dwell a little more on the present.
We are at the
age where we are in transition season as siblings. When life looks like we are
about to go off on our own and our interactions with one another will
eventually become less and less.
You still
share a lot in common but you also gain other new things. This also means
friends. When you are kids it easy to keep the same friends. You tend to keep a
united front and demand the whole family is included in gaming activities. When
you grow up you become more individualistic. Things take a new turning. You may
share a lot of what you did growing up but you also develop other interests.
What I love
about having siblings is that they are never afraid to just tell me if I go too
far from being who I am or never be afraid to tell me I am playing it too safe.
We have grown
up challenging each other and also appreciating one another’s individual
strengths. It’s true there are families that a sibling doing better than
another is a problem but in my family that is not a problem. We know we are
different. We were never raised to compete with one another rather to help one
another. We lift each other up and encourage each other. We do not give up on
each other. We are one another’s best friends.
It’s been
amazing watching my siblings grow into such great independent adults. For a
long time I was very concerned about their well being especially in my absence. Being
the first born sometimes you feel it is your responsibility to be the best
example your siblings will ever see. It is true for me because I was told that
severally by my parents. It can be a huge burden but I am relieved that they
are all doing well. It is hard to always be the responsible one that sometimes
you can lose your relationship with your siblings because of being too
authoritative. There are many moments that it happened and I had to really slow
things down and remember I was just their sister not their mum.
Either way my
siblings are great go getters. They all have a lot to be proud off and still
have a lot more to accomplish. You would be amazed how automatically we are
there for one another in times of joy and of crisis as well. It isn’t even
something you need to ask twice. I love that I know they always have my back
and will look out for me even as I would them.
Over the
years we have adopted honorary siblings which I guess is because of the
closeness we already have with one another. We literally talk daily and update
each other on major news in our lives and we also support one another’s careers.
I can’t wait
for the next season of our lives. It will be amazing and I know we will remain just
as close but in a different perspective all together.
