Growing up, I was raised by not only my two parents, but by my three older siblings. As the youngest of our six-person family, all of my siblings took me under their wings and each of them brought something new to the table to make me into the person who I am today. My sister waited six years for a little sister and during those six years she was given two younger brothers instead. I have been told that when my siblings were asked if they wanted a brother or sister, they all said that they wanted a sister because she didn't have one. Soon after I was born, my sister was begging my parents to move me into her room. That is how we shared a room until I was eight and our bed times simply did not match anymore.
My parents had imprinted morals and rules onto me, teaching me right from wrong and how to treat people with respect. They raised me to be the person who I am today. However, my siblings were there to teach me things about the world that my parents couldn't. They taught me how to navigate my way through school and how to deal with my parents or each other. They created my personality and built my pop culture knowledge.
Some of their lessons, however, took longer to stick than others. My brothers taught me how to be the butt of a joke, although it took a long time to finally start laughing at them instead of running to my mom and tattling. They also taught me to be competitive. After endless games of Ghost in the Graveyard, Devil in the Daylight, and Capture the Flag when I was always the one "it" (or left in jail), I learned that I had to get good and fight to not be given the short straw. It is a rite of passage for the youngest to be "it" for many rounds, especially when you're playing with your older brothers and their friends.
Most importantly, my siblings showed me the type of person who I wanted to be. Throughout my life, they have each taught me lessons and imprinted some of themselves on me. I have looked up to each of them for my entire life and they have all served as my role models. They are the reasons for any and all of my successes in life. Through their support and teasing, they made me into the person who I am today. I learned life lessons as they did and I learned from their mistakes as well as their successes. I am made up of every person in my family and I'm so grateful to have been the youngest because of that. I lived with at least one of my siblings until the day when I left for college and I'm so thankful that I never had to grow up as an only child. I wouldn't trade my experiences with siblings for anything.
