Having a younger sibling has its benefits, like using them as your slave, or being their role model and manipulating them into being like you. It also had its downfalls, like the fighting. Oh, do I have some scars to prove that statement. But, once you reach that magic age of 18 and decide to move away to college, your relationship changes significantly. Gone are the days of fighting over petty things, and the constant invasion of privacy they cause. And the freedom is like nothing else. Here are some of the things you definitely appreciate having since you're hardly home.
1. You no longer have to hide food.
The food that is in your dorm is yours and yours alone. You can have that entire pint of Ben and Jerry's to yourself, no need to hide it. That half eaten bag of chips? You can decide when you want to finish it, rather than hide it so you can definitely be the one to finish it. You do not have to worry about any younger hands attacking the food.
2. Your chore list went down.
Living on your own, you still have chores you have to do. But now they become easier. You only have to dump the trash out of one trashcan, not every trashcan in the house. You only wash your own dishes. And even better, you can pick which ones you want to do when. It stops being a contest to see who can do the best job first so the other kids have to do the worst jobs.
3. People respect your personal space/privacy.
You may have had your own room back home, but you are lying if you say your siblings never tried to come into your room and go through your stuff. Especially if you had younger sisters, you know they raided your closet sometimes. Though you lose having more space, you gain that respect of your privacy. Your stuff is your stuff, and unlike your siblings, your roommate(s) will not go through it.
4. No more fighting.
Goodbye to the days where you chased each other around the house trying to murder the other one because they would not give up the TV, or they ate the last cookie. Now, you can sit in peace in your dorm and not worry about having to avoid being beaten or yelled at. They can still call you and start a fight if they wanted to, but you can hang up the phone.
5. "Sharing" is no longer a big part of your life.
I mean, you may have to share fridge space with your roomie, or take turns on what you watch on TV, but it is much different than at home, where you could be punished or injured if you were not willing to share. Plus, you had to share nearly everything, from computers, to toys, to books, and much more.
6. You actually start to appreciate having siblings.
Suddenly, they no longer are seen as those snotbags that you unfortunately have to share DNA with. They are now people whom you miss. And odds are, they miss you too. Because at the end of the day, no matter how many times you want to say they are not important to you, they are. They are family too, and sometimes, you do need your siblings in your life.
