I grew up with three siblings. Sometimes they get on my nerves, but, you know, I love them (don't tell them omg). They fed my childhood with so many memories. We'd spend the day playing outside, building up my courage to go across the street without our parents because, well, there was a cool playground. I'm actually thankful for them because I'd come home to friendship. Life was basically "Lilo and Stitch" with them.
In this article, I've compiled a list of some of the things I found to be common experiences in sibling relationships.
1. Taking the tv remote with you wherever you go, so that they won't have it
I was obsessed with television as a kid. I would not let my siblings change the channel, so I just remember walking to the kitchen with the remote. They noticed this too, and it would bug them; but hey, I was just fighting for my favorite shows. My sister and I actually fought over this whoops (we made up, though!!)
2. Blocking the cable box so that when they get a hold of said remote, the channel won't change
I'm not sure if this actually worked, but I just remember getting annoyed with my siblings for wanting to change the channel. I wanted to watch "Totally Spies," but my brother wanted to watch "Yu-Gi-Oh" (what a NERD).
3. When your mom has to go through a list of names before calling your name
I think it's become a habit, and I found that I'd be the last person a lot of the time. I don't know what it is, but I just found it funny as a kid.
4. Pain...lots of pain
When we were kids, my brother would make me wrestle him. He watched way too much wrestling, and while I was younger than him, I wasn't the youngest. In other words, we all protected our youngest. I don't know why, but we actually took wrestling seriously. My sister would be the referee, and my brother and I would be the wrestlers. We were actually crazy for enjoying games that hurt our bodies.
Our mom would be at work, and our dad would be in the living room watching tv so, he wouldn't know what we were doing in our room. He didn't know that I hurt my head because of a game my siblings and I were playing in our room. It was a game that involved colliding with each other. We guarded ourselves with pillows and ran towards each other. Now, we had no idea of physics. All there was my older brother who ran faster than me, and me, who fell backward after the collision.
And that's the story of how I may or may not have gotten a concussion at seven years old.
5. Everyday was a competition
Having siblings meant you had to fight for your spot and for the shower. My sister and I would bicker about which one of us had to sit in the very back of the car. Early dialogues included "I call using the shower first." When it came to video games, they showed no mercy. If the game had an option for teams, they either didn't want to be in the same teams or didn't opt for it at all.
This was sibling rivalry.
6. When mom would blame everyone for what one person did
This bothered me so much growing up. I was a child of God, and there I was: mixed in with the devils. If someone didn't clean up after themselves, my mom would blame all of us. Mom would get mad at me for breathing because one of my siblings made her mad--that's basically how it went.
7. When you've spent too much time with them
They can get on my nerves. After telling them that they're chewing loudly, guess what they do? They chew louder. We insult each other. We bicker about the smallest things. My sister's singing around the house would get too much.
We'd pretty much fight about everything, and our parents expressed their frustration, which shut us up.
8. But when you don't, you miss them
Being away from each other because of university means we'd show we miss each other by tagging each other in memes. We never say "I love you" to each other, but we show it through random and pointless Facetime calls. When we see each other again, we show that we missed each other by saying "hi, ugly!" Or by being okay with my sister wearing my shirt without asking me if she could.
9. Because, well, they're your first best friends
Can't say "goodbye" to twenty-one years of friendship
GiphyThey brewed friendship growing up. I'm the most protective of my little sister. We all got each others' backs, so there were times when we teamed up when our parents were upset with us. I had people to trust my secrets with, because y'all can't bottle things up and expect to be just fine.
They were my playmates.
When I was at my lowest, they picked me up.
I was never alone.
10. No one else is gonna want to hang out with ugly, so you're stuck with them
I'm kidding! I don't hang out with them either.
I'm kidding, again. I'm actually happy that they're in my life. They taught me to be courageous. They were unafraid when I was. I have so many great memories that filled my childhood with snowball fights, forts, and other adventures.
They're my siblings by birth and my friends by choice.
K bye, this is getting sentimental. Let me just say one more thing to my siblings: I can hear your bad singing from here.
