As older siblings, we find ourselves teaching our brothers and sisters as much as we can about life. Whether we like it or not, they look up to us and pick up our habits, good or bad. From showing them the best hide-and-seek spots in our house, to teaching them all we know about our favorite sports, to showing them how to work Instagram (sigh, 9-year-olds have Instagrams now), our siblings follow in our footsteps and continue to terrorize our parents after we have moved out.
Although I have inevitably taught my brother and sister a thing or two about life, I realize that they have taught me many lessons themselves. As I realized this, I seemed baffled. How could a 9-year-old who does nothing but play video games teach me, a junior in college, about life and the real world? And how did a 10-year-old who obsesses over her hamster teach me to look for the goodness in people? During their short time on Earth, they have helped me appreciate life and grow as a person more than any friend, boyfriend, or relative ever has.
1. “Don’t take drugs, take selfies.”
Yes, unfortunately 10-year-olds have discovered social media. And yes, many of their pictures are selfies. First day of school selfie. Mom made me cookies selfie. I scored my first goal selfie. You get the point, selfies are everything to 9-year-olds with social media pages.
One day, however, my brother uttered the words, “don’t take drugs, take selfies.” I stopped in my tracks. His simple phrase nailed what every elementary school teacher and parent have tried to teach their children for years. Yes, it increases the numbers of selfies on our news feeds, but hopefully it will keep kids from doing drugs now or in the future.
2. Always celebrate your birthday.
Beginning the day after their birthdays, my siblings always start the countdown. “364 days, 12 hours, 38 minutes, and 17 seconds until my birthday!”
As I have grown, I have realized that our birthday becomes less special each year. We dread our new age, hearing the restaurant staff sing to us at dinner, and the Facebook reminder that alerts our friends that we are another year older.
But why do we lose the excitement we once had as a child? We still receive gifts, are surrounded by our loved ones and get to eat cake. If we continued to be as excited as we were on our 8th birthday, we would enjoy ourselves and our day so much more. No, we don’t have to theme our birthday to “My Little Pony,” but we can feel the innocent, fun-loving joy we felt so often as children.
3. Include everyone in your happiness.
Over the years, my friend group has dwindled to a select few. Yes, distance plays a role, but let’s be real, we can’t let just anyone into our “framily.” But why must we be so selective?
Whenever I sit down and ask my siblings about life, they always talk about how they are friends with everyone in their class. It’s never a question of who they will invite to their birthday parties because they want anyone and everyone there. Yes, they probably want as many gifts as possible, but they want everyone to celebrate in their happiness. Whether it’s a slumber party, a trip to the local frozen yogurt shop, or a soccer game at the park, they want to be surrounded by everyone that makes them happy.
Adults and teens should do the same. Who cares if your friend in math class isn’t in the popular crowd? If they make you smile or laugh, or make your day any brighter than it once was, do not be ashamed to include them in your life.
We are only as happy as we will let ourselves be. Surrounding ourselves with positive influences can only make our lives and attitudes better than they were before.
4. Ice cream is always a good idea.
It never mattered what time it was, if we had just eaten, or if we were exhausted from a day of school and soccer practice, whenever anyone mentioned ice cream, my siblings were always on board and the first ones in the car. Many fights broke out while choosing what shop to go to, but once we received our scoop or finished adding the toppings to our favorite fro-yo, we were happy and actually got along for once.
Ice cream seemed to bring our family together. We chose different toppings, picked different cones or cups, and some filled our fro-yo cups to the brim while the others just enjoyed samples. In the end, we would come together with ice cream all over our faces and actually talk to each other. I found out the most interesting things about my siblings while chatting amongst ice cream -- things that would normally require prying them from their iPads and video games to find out.
Unfortunately, ice cream is not always a good idea when you suggest it to adults who are following certain nutrition plans or diet fads, but why deprive yourself of a sweet treat and the happiness that comes from sharing a moment with your friends and family? Yes, you can probably bond over a bowl of kale chips, but ice cream is so much more fun.
It continues to amaze me how much I can learn from humans who are so small. I try my best to teach them from my mistakes, but they unknowingly teach me to appreciate life and the moments that make it so special. Whether it’s driving them to a playdate or letting them beat you in their favorite video game, we can thank them for reminding us about the simplicities in life, and what it was like to be worry free and whole heartedly kind.
Dedicated to Gaby and Bruno. Thanks for the lessons.
