Growing up in a large family I've learned a lot of things but the most important thing that I've learned is that family is everything. Other people may walk in and out of your life but your family will stay there forever. Siblings in particular are the ones who are going to be by your side as you grow up and grow old. If you're anything like my siblings and I, we bicker to no end and fight over everything from the last piece of chicken at dinner to who left the TV on in the living room. But, just because we love to fight doesn't mean that we wouldn't give an arm and a leg for each other. Through every up and every down, your pain is your siblings pain, your happiness is their happiness. They are a support system like no other and a blessing whether you realize it or not.
1. You have automatic best friends.
Yes, you are going to have some friends in your life that will be there for you through thick and thin, but no friendship can compare to your best friendship with your siblings. Your siblings know all of your deepest, darkest secrets and still love you unconditionally anyway. No matter what the problem is you may be facing, knowing that you have a sibling to go to with anything is one of the greatest feelings in the world. They won't judge you, but they'll also be brutally honest and tell you when you're being a complete idiot.
2. You have people to grow old with.
From the time you are kids until the time you are having kids, your siblings are by your side watching and helping you grow. They're the ones who will pick up all the pieces when you fall apart, and then they'll also be there to thank you when you do the same for them. You will teach each other things and learn a lot from one another. Your siblings will be right next to you through every heartbreak, every surgery, every wedding, every birth and will be your lifetime companions and confidants.
3. Siblings will take care of you when your parents are gone.
It's scary to think about, but we all know that one day we are going to have to say goodbye to our parents. Our go-to person to call or seek advice from will change from from our parents to our siblings. In the long run, your siblings are going to support you emotionally and even financially, just as your parents did.
4. There's always someone around to do things with.
When no one else is around to hangout, you can always count on your siblings to be down to go play basketball with or sit down and watch a movie with. Siblings are the best cure for boredom because one way or another, you guys will always figure out something to do.
5. When family life gets hard, you know you're not alone.
Inevitably, every family goes through some type of struggle at some point. It's not always easy to go off and pretend you're OK when things are hard at home and you're feeling alone. But having someone to go through all the dark times with you and feel everything you do is comforting. You have people to talk to who can relate and understand, and somehow that makes everything a whole lot easier.
To my siblings: "We may not have it all together, but together we have it all."
