Best advisors, when it matters
Having a sibling who has walked the path of puberty before you, comes as a blessing in disguise. A sudden change in the body, newfound interest in the special someone, crushes, and heartbreaks can overwhelm any teenager. With a sibling’s sage advice in the middle of the night, who would need a shrink?
Indulgent teachers and coaches
Learning is fun when the older sister and brother teach Mathematics and explain the rules of football. After all, they know their siblings inside out, better than the teachers and parents—the strengths, weaknesses, things that even we might not know about ourselves. They pass on what they learn from their own mistakes, experiences, and perspectives. That’s what makes them the best teachers and coaches.
The ruler and the ruled
It is no newsflash that childhood can be quite a battlefield—the older siblings ordering the younger ones around. Who could blame them? After all, it is no mean task to watch the parents mete out a royal treatment to the younger siblings—their demands met, and a free pass granted for every blunder. How can the older ones be left behind? ‘Who’s the boss?’, they whisper to the younger counterparts. And the younger ones obediently comply. Yet, this unique power play has enough room for selfless love in the generous ‘little’ hearts.
Always take the fall
Who would take the fall for us if not the self-sacrificing sibling? Childhood was marked with memories of blame-sharing (as opposed to the blame-shifting of adulthood) at every instance of something breaking, be it a vase, a windowpane or a rule.
“Sisters function as safety nets in a chaotic world simply by being there for each other.” – Carol Saline
Every holiday was an adventure
In childhood, even a school trip to the museum was an adventure. Imagine the excitement of going to a whole new place with your own little brood! Exploring new experiences, eating until we couldn’t possibly take another whiff of food, giggling for no reason in the dead of the night—the silliest of moments spent with our siblings become the most memorable of memories.
The teachers of childhood, lessons for life
If growing up with sisters taught us to respect women, an older brother acting like a bully taught us how to stand up for ourselves. Sibling relationships demonstrate the truth of sharing, forgiving, and above all, the significance of family and the unbreakable ties.
Sculptors who mould fine people out of each other
Growing up with siblings is always a bittersweet journey. While on the one hand, there was unconditional love, unflinching support, and fierce, almost parent-like protectiveness, on the other, there was the meanness that can come only out of a sibling. Either way, the love-hate equation shaped us into who we are today.
Had it not been for the tantrums, pranks, fights, friendship, care, and love of siblings, childhood would not have been the greatest adventure that it always turns out to be.
Edited by Shalini K Sharma
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