Before I left for college, my relationship with my younger sister was not great. We would constantly fight, rat each other out to mom, and just lived our own lives separately. Granted, there is a 5-year difference between me and my little sister, but now I know that a simple age difference is no excuse for not having a healthy relationship with her.
When I left for school, our relationship completely changed. We texted a few times a week to catch up on the small things like how her soccer games went or what she got on her math test. It wasn’t until I wasn’t in the same house as her, sleeping under the same roof, that I realized how for the past 13 years I had taken her for granted. Yes…for the majority of the time we did fight, but there were those small periods where we got along. When I got to Muhlenberg, I tried to forget how much we had fought, and I tried to start a new chapter where we were civil to each other all the time.
As the weeks went on, we Facetimed more and texted more, and our relationship became more of a friendship rather than just being siblings who tolerated each other. Facetiming with my little sister became one of the highlights of my day, and hearing about her successes and life became so much more enjoyable.
What occurred to me the first time she came to Muhlenberg for the weekend with my parents was that I had to stop treating her like a baby and start treating her like she was one of my friends. She hung out with my friends, we talked, we ate in the dining hall, and she had a blast. She felt like she had more freedom, and for the first time in a really long time, we genuinely had fun spending time together.
I strongly encourage if you don’t have the best relationship with a sibling to try this. You’d be extremely surprised as how to one night can change everything. That one weekend has completely changed the nature of my relationship with my sister.
I know that many college students are also in the same boat. Once you are far away from home and not near your family, you realize how you have taken them for granted for so long. It is extremely important to take a few moments once in a while to step back and be thankful for what you have, because family is forever, and they always have your back.