As an older sibling, I can say that my younger brother is both one of the best and worst things that has happened in my life. Here are some things that every older sibling understands to some extent.
1. The understanding that you’re not the baby anymore.
It was a bitter day when your younger sibling came home from the hospital. You may have even looked forward to a younger sibling, but a couple of weeks into that ordeal, you realized what it entailed. Now you both need attention, but one of you is getting more attention than the other because one is new.
2. Stepping into the role of a reliable older sibling.
After the bitterness of no longer being the youngest and being doted on, you start to realize that your younger sibling needs you. Your parents aren’t always around to witness the shenanigans, but you are. So, for some innate reason, you feel the need to step up and keep them out of trouble.
3. They can be totally obnoxious and self-centered.
No lie, younger siblings sometimes don’t even realize how obnoxious they are. You find yourself thinking that you were never as bad as them, but let’s be honest: you were probably much worse.
4. They expect to be babied.
This goes along with being self-centered, but seriously: growing up, the younger sibling thought it was all about them. I can’t count how many times I was doing something and my younger brother started crying to our parents because I told him he couldn’t do it too. Then my parents would comply to his whims so they wouldn’t have to hear him whine. Do you know what that meant for me? Every kid’s nightmare: sharing.
5. You will get in fights and make up after an hour or two.
Many fights are just you and your younger sibling being petty and prideful, but in the midst of your bout of pouting, you start to miss your younger sibling. It’s strange that at the age of six or seven, you could not talk for an hour and then suddenly realize how boring your life is without them. Of course, as you get older, your life isn’t boring without them, but the fact that your relationship is hurting makes life a little more difficult to enjoy.
6. No matter how mad you get with them, you still love them a lot.
They can break your laptop by accident, and you might cry and get upset with them for being stupid, but you forgive them anyway because you don’t want them to feel sad.
7. Sometimes you want to spoil them.
They might not deserve it, but you want to show them some gratitude for existing in your life and teaching you so much about patience and kindness. Even when you didn’t want them to be there, they’ve been there—surviving through your days of moodiness and irrational sarcasm. That deserves an award.
8. They can be more mature than you…
You can be faced with a situation that is really stressing you out, and sometimes younger siblings can give some insightful advice. The older we get, the more we tend to overthink, but with younger siblings, it seems that “one answer is the answer and there is only one answer.” Which is something my younger brother said to me when he was 14. For some reason, bits of simplicity like this can clear up clouded thoughts.
9. …But you will play the older sibling card if they get to big-headed.
Younger siblings sometimes think they’re smarter than you, which is sometimes true, but not always true. When they forget, you’re ready to remind them.
10. The feeling of tainting them with something they shouldn’t know.
Telling them how to sneak out, steal snacks from the kitchen or skip class are all things you’ll regret, especially after they commit the act. You don’t want them to do the bad things you do, partially because it increases the risk and partially because the blame will come back to you.
11. Knowing you both really love each other, even if every other conversation is full of insults.
No, conversations aren’t rainbows and cupcakes. I know firsthand my brother and I regularly insult each other. We insult in a teasing way of course, but sometimes it can get out of hand. I’m sure many older siblings can attest to a time when their younger sibling hit a sensitive spot in your ego and got you heated. Even then, after cooling down, you both still love each other enough to apologize and do it all again the next day.
12. Not letting someone else say an insult to them that you say every day.
No, you can’t call my brother a big head. Only I can call him a big head. If you think about it, there are things you say to your sibling that you would not like someone else to say to them.
13. They seem to know when something’s up.
Maybe because they’re always watching you, they can tell when something is amiss. When you’re trying your best to hide your sadness or anger, they can tell. My younger brother often tries to cheer me up with humor.
14. Sometimes they can be so sweet…
Sometimes they’ll buy you a gift or give you something they know you need. Sometimes they’ll do you favors at no cost.
15. …Other times they can be devilish.
Other times they demand payment for menial tasks and will harass you for money. It’s a toss-up how they’ll be from a day to day basis, especially when they leave their cute phase and go into the teen phase.
16. The feeling you get when they need your help for something.
There is a sense of superiority and necessity when your younger sibling asks you for help. It’s something to relish, because no matter how old you both get, your younger sibling will rely on you for support.