As a college student, I am constantly having epiphanies about growing up. I realize that I’m getting older, things are changing and time goes by in the blink of an eye. Once upon a time I was living with all of my siblings as one big happy family. Until everyone started growing up, going to college, moving out of state, and finding their own paths. Things got hard, being the youngest child in my family, because one by one my siblings would leave me. As the baby of my family, I’ve definitely experienced some struggles of not having my siblings around anymore. That being said, here are 6 common struggles you may have when you and your siblings have a long distance relationship.
1.Time Differences- The time difference struggle is so real when it comes to long distance sibling relationships. Whether it is a one-hour time difference, or 10, the different time zones really effect communication between siblings. I will often forget about the time zones and call one of my siblings early in the morning and soon realize, it is way too early where they are to be communicating at all, and they are most likely still sleeping.
2.Facetime- Facetime is a perfect way to communicate long distance, until it starts freezing, or the Wi-Fi goes out. Conversations end abruptly, and your screen gets stuck on a picture of your sister looking like she was possessed by something. It is definitely nice to be able to talk to them and see their faces, but an in-person conversation with your sibling is truly irreplaceable and Facetime can never do it justice.
3.Text Messages- Everyone has a busy life, and sometimes text messages can be easily forgotten. It is always difficult to keep a text message conversation going with your siblings, simply because everyone is doing their own thing, and no one has time to sit on their phone all day long. The occasional bitmoji will be sent, but text message conversations always tend to die after a while. Text messages are really only good for funny pictures and relatable GIFs.
4.Family Gatherings- The worst thing about having your siblings gone, is attending family parties solo. I got so used to having my siblings by my side, that I basically forgot how to carry on a conversation with a relative without them. Siblings really are the best of friends, and they would always be there when I didn’t really feel like talking to anyone else. It is even worse during big holidays, when all you want to do is be with your siblings.
5.Pets- Of course it is hard having your siblings out of state, and I miss them everyday, but it really is a double whammy when they have pets, and you miss their pets just as much as you miss them. It is especially hard because it is difficult to put pets on a plane, so years most likely go by before you can squish your sister’s dogs face again.
6.Advice-Phone calls, facetime, text messages, skype sessions and any other communication device is fine, but when I’m in need of some advice, all I really need is my sibling with me. It is much easier to communicate advice face to face than over a text. It is also much more difficult keeping up with all of your siblings lives, when everyone is in a different location.
Long distance sibling relationships are hard, and I miss my siblings everyday, but I always remind myself that they are doing what they got to do, and they are taking their own path in life. Just because we are all in different locations, doesn’t mean we don’t have the same sibling bond. Siblings stick together and at the end of the day, home is where ever my siblings are.
