I’ve seen this pattern occur with many siblings. The first kid to leave home, the first to go to college, the first to get their own place- leaving the youngest child alone with the parents. In my case, I am the youngest child. I spent most of my childhood bickering with my older sibling, but now that she’s moved out and on her own I find that we are growing closer together. We’ve all heard the saying, “absence makes the heart grow fonder,” but I guess all it takes is a change of location, address and territory to remind you that family is forever.
1. Less Room For Fighting
Not having to share the same square footage anymore makes it a lot easier to not get on each other’s nerves. I can look back on physical fights between my sister and I over personal space in the bathroom, kitchen and pretty much everywhere. It was always a fight over the loud TV in the other room, the show we didn’t agree upon and of course, the late night walk ins that always woke you up!
2. Seeing Them Is Special
Whether you visit them or they come home for a long weekend, it feels so good to have them back in your presence. You can catch up on life and talk about all the amazing things going on. Sometimes a text or phone call doesn’t do it justice.
3. Stealing (ugh)...
A family of all girls was challenging when it came to school mornings. Don’t have anything to wear from your own closet? Well, just walk down the hall and go into your sister’s closet! It was NEVER that easy. That situation usually ended up with a scream for mom in hopes that she would have your back in who stole what.
4. Finally Proud of One Another
It's amazing to look back on experiences during my childhood when I would never admit to being proud of anything my sister accomplished. Now, you find out your siblings did something amazing and you’re all over it. It wasn’t like you weren’t proud of them as a kid, but this time around... your bragging rights aren’t in jeopardy.
5. Latest News On the Rents
No matter how hectic life can get, you always reach out to your sibling when you want to discuss something about your parents. I know my sister comes to me to find out if we’ve made any progress in the puppy-buying plan! We use to be embarrassed of our parents but now we almost want to be them.
