Before my younger sibling was born, I thought to myself, "This will be so fun! We'll hang out all the time and never fight!" But after my sibling was born, I quickly learned that being an older sibling isn't always fun and games. If anything, it's more like playing games you don't like while your little sibling has fun as they force you to lose the game purposefully, just so they can feel like a winner.
To me, being an older sibling means:
You'll have to stay composed, even when your younger sibling is getting on your last nerve. We all have breaking points, but we have to try to push our anger aside for as long as possible. (I try to stay calm to give my sister a chance to become aware of my not-so-friendly tone, but she usually doesn't notice it.) Kids can be really irritating, but arguing with your little sibling never ends well because eventually, your parents will reprimand you for arguing with a seven-year-old.
The bag of Cheetos you set on the table so you could get a glass of water is not yours anymore. You left the room, which means everything in that room is up for grabs. Sharing is an enormous part of being an older sibling - whether you share your snacks, your space, or all of your favorite pencils, you're probably going to share a lot of your personal items if you want to avoid the wrath of a screaming, crying, and/or whining child.
Going off of sharing, sacrificing is also a part of being an older sibling. Sometimes you have to take a step back and think to yourself, "I could do this another time -- my little sibling is really looking forward to this." So when you want to play a video game, sometimes you have to hand over the controller to your younger sibling because they want to play, too. It can get exhausting having to give up the items you love, but it always seems to be worth the heavy sigh when you see the happy-go-lucky grin on their face.
Being an older sibling has a lot of downsides, but there are plenty of upsides, too.
Every time I ask my little sister if my outfit looks okay, she gives me a thumbs up and says, "That looks great!" or "You look beautiful."
I am never lonely because of my younger sibling. When I ask if my sister wants to hang out or play a game, she's always up for it.
Having a younger sibling may seem like there are more negatives than positives, but the little things really do add up. For example, my little sister doesn't always say "thank you" when I do extremely kind acts for her, but she never fails to thank me when I get her a cup of water. And sometimes she forgets to say "goodnight" to me, but she always runs to the door and hugs me when I get home -- even if it's just from the grocery store.
All in all, I like being an older sibling. And even though I love being able to read in silence, there's no greater sound than my little sister's laughter. Even at 8 A.M.
