I always grew up as the baby of the family. Even at 20-years-old with one year left of college, I'm still the baby. There's quite the gap between my siblings and I. My brother is older than me by 14 years and my sister is older by 12 years. Whenever I'm asked, "How old are your siblings?" I always get an "Oh wow!" or "You're the baby, huh?" Every. Single. Time.
The last time I lived under the same roof as them was many, many moons ago. Therefore, it's not unusual when people mistake me as an only child. Not to mention, there have been instances where people have mistaken my brother and sister for my mom or dad. Oops. The two of them differ from me in many ways. We were born in different generations, watched different TV shows growing up and they were teens when I was little.
Having siblings a lot older than you can be a little different than having ones closer in age. But it definitely has perks. Here are three reasons why having siblings who are way older than you is a great thing:
1. You never fight.
When you have siblings with huge age gaps, there's nothing really to fight about. I'll fight with my sister over who gets to hold my nephew next, but that's really it. Chances are they don't live at home anymore, so you never have to worry about one of them eating your leftovers or stealing your clothes. Whenever I hear people talk about arguing with their siblings, I totally cannot relate. We're basically BFFs who barely argue and spend our days blowing up the family group chat.
2. They give great advice and suggestions.
Whatever you need advice on, they've been there, done that. Whether it's school, relationships or work, they seem to know it all. Or at least I like to think that they do. They remember what it's like being your age, therefore you can ask them anything without feeling weird. Not to mention, they always give honest and good suggestions. Like when it comes to showing my sister what color I want to dye my hair, I know I'll get an honest response. Whenever I need a Netflix or movie suggestion, my brother has got it covered.
3. They always want what's best for you.
With my siblings being much older, I do get my fair share of lectures. Lectures on anything and everything. Whether it's about school, working, saving money or the adult world, they're on my back. It can be annoying and, half the time, I don't want to hear it; but at the end of the day, I know it's coming from a good place. After experiencing many ups and downs, they want to protect me from the bad and guide me to the good.
No matter how many years apart, my brother and sister are huge blessings. I know that no matter what, I'll always have their love and support with anything, even if I grow up to be a crazy dog lady. They inspire me everyday and I aim to not only make my parents proud, but them as well!
