Having siblings is great - I know this because I have 4 of them. They can get you into a lot of trouble, but they can also get you out of it (you can always play the "She/he made me do it!" card). I remember when I was about 3 years old, my older sister Kay convinced me it was a good idea to run around the block, away from our mom. So I followed Kay halfway around the block, and my mom, who was pregnant with our younger brother, had to chase us around the block.
Naturally, she was furious. But I didn't really get in any trouble because I could blame it on my older sister (such was the nature of our sisterly bond for the next 12 years). Like I said, siblings are great. But the bonus of being able to point fingers isn't the only reason having siblings is so much fun - that is only the beginning.
1. You learn to argue: I have been told that I could argue with a rock if I tried. This is largely due to the training I've received just from having so many siblings. If you have lots of siblings, you basically have to learn to argue. It's a matter of survival. But that skill for arguing really comes in handy later on!
2. You know how to take a joke: A little sibling rivalry is good for the soul - it toughens you up, so if people outside your family make a joke that could be mean, it doesn't find its mark because you know exactly how to brush it off. And you have the perfect zinger to send right back at them.
3. You know how to delegate: If Mom or Dad tells you to vacuum the living room, but you don't want to do it, you just go and find one of your siblings and tell them, "Hey, Mom wants you to vacuum the living room." Boom. Problem solved (at least until they wise up to what's going on).
4. Self-defense is incorporated into your upbringing: Chances are if you grew up in a big family you know how to defend yourself. Sibling fights aren't just of the verbal variety, after all.
5. You're never alone: Now, sometimes this is more of a negative than it is a perk, but about 95 percent of the time it's a definite perk. Siblings are basically built-in best friends, with the added bonus that they can never decide they don't want to be friends anymore - they're family and they're stuck with you forever.
6. Lots of birthday cake: If your family is anything like mine, you get about one birthday cake a month on average (plus cupcakes for half birthdays).
7. You can be yourself around them: You can be as weird and crazy as you want around your siblings and they won't judge you (much) for it. And even if they do judge you, you know that they're just as weird as you are and that they don't really care.
So even though siblings can be annoying and you don't really get to have personal space (I was 20 before I got to have my own room), it really is great to have lots of siblings. I know mine are my best friends, and I wouldn't trade them for the world.
