I am the oldest of three kids. I have two younger brothers, one that is four years younger and one that is 10 years younger. This age gap has really shaped me into the person I am today.
There are many things that happen when you have a sibling that is significantly younger than you. There are a lot of preconceived notions and many surprised looks on people’s faces. Having a sibling that is so much younger than me has been a blessing and curse over the years.
Mistake.
When I first tell people that I have a brother who is nine-years-old the look on their faces is priceless. Many times the look is followed up by, “wow what’s that like?” or “which one of you is the mistake?” I find it really funny when people ask me this or they call my little brother a mistake. Honestly he isn’t. I think my parents planned to have us so far apart so they have a built in babysitter and driver for the youngest one. All joking aside I don’t know if my brother is a mistake, or if maybe I was the mistake, but I don’t care. Having my brother be so much younger than me has provided me with memories that I wouldn’t trade for anything. I can remember when he took his first steps, said his first word and all those milestones and that’s pretty cool.
Kid Movies.
At this point in my life, kids movies have become cool again. It is once again ok to want to go and see the latest Disney movie. What I love about having a brother 10 years younger is that I have an excuse to go and see the movies. My brother genuinely wanted to see “Inside Out” the other day so I got to see it to (and my parents paid – total plus).
Corruption.
If anybody has ever met my younger brother they know he is by no means innocent. My brother is nine going on 29. My middle brother and I constantly corrupt our youngest sibling with bad words, movies that a nine year old should not be watching and I can say that I don’t have to watch the awful shows that are targeted for his age group. The other day I caught my two brothers watching an R-rated movie and what was funny is that the younger one was more into it than the older one.
Embarrassment.
At this stage in my life I could care less if I embarrassed my youngest brother. I act goofy in front of his friends, call him my nickname for him (Munchkin) in front of everybody, and I sing at the top of lungs in the car (something he hates). Why do I do all of this? Because it’s my job. As an older sibling you have to tease and embarrass your younger sibling it comes with the job description and because my brother is nine everything is embarrassing to him, especially having a college aged sister.
Third Parent.
Being 10 years older than my brother I am often left alone with him and given the jurisdiction to punish him if he acts up. This includes but is not limited to taking away his iPad, TV, or when I actually make him read. Sometimes I feel like I am so much older than him I am more like a parent than I am a sister.
Old.
Subconsciously I know I am 10 years older than my brother, but I don’t think about it that often. The times when I do think about it are when I think about how old I will be when he finishes his freshman year of college (29), or when I realize that when I was his age he didn’t even exist. When my brother graduates college I will be 32. When he finishes elementary school I’ll be 21. It’s times like these when I feel really old and it weirds me a little bit.
Idol.
My middle brother is the lucky one in this situation. I am four years older than him and my youngest brother is six years younger than him. My youngest brother’s friends and my youngest brother, for that matter, idolize my middle brother. They think he is the coolest thing on the planet, in their eyes he can do no wrong. You know the question "If so and so jumped off a bridge would you?" Well, if my middle brother jumped off a bridge my younger brother would be right next to him.
Having a sibling so much younger than me has taught me that age is just a number. That even though we may be growing up in completely different times because of technology I can still be friends with my brother. Sometimes it’s weird to think back to when I was younger and realize that my youngest brother wasn’t there for some big memories, certain times it feels like another life. Then there are the times when I realize how cool it is that I can relive some of my favorite childhood experiences, like going to Disney World, because of my brother. Thanks Munchkin!
