Dedicated to my two very best friends, my older brother, Michael, and my older sister, Jade.
To all younger siblings out there, I think we can all agree that older siblings suck. They're mean, they're bossy, and they scar you for life from the torture they put you through as a child. At 20 years old, I still squirm at the sight of many childhood toys because my older siblings ruined them for me.
Younger siblings have the bad reputation of being the annoying and bratty siblings, but we only turn out like that because of the pain and suffering that older siblings have put us through. It's like stockholm syndrome! Older siblings cause so much pain but we still feel a need to be around them. That being said, everything they've done hasn't exactly been horrible and an irritating sibling is better than no sibling at all!
In all seriousness, there's a lot to be thankful for from older siblings. If you suffer from only child syndrome, you're missing out on a lifelong friendship and a bond you can't experience with anyone else. They make you laugh the hardest and smile the biggest. They have seen the worst side and the best side of you and still choose to love you. As frustrating as my older brother and sister are, I am so thankful for them. Here are just a few of the many reasons why we should all be thankful of our older siblings.
1. Thank you for helping me learn from your mistakes
Thanks for always doing dumb things first and getting hurt, so I learned to actually think before I did anything potentially stupid. Thanks for taking all the horrible teachers in school so I knew to take other ones. Thanks for dating assholes so I knew to steer clear of their little brothers. Thanks for getting caught doing something stupid so I knew not to do it...or to figure out how to do it better. And because of you guys getting caught so much, thanks for making me seem like the golden child! Because of your guy's stupidity, I seem like the smartest child!
Still, to this day, I get a call at least once a week about my brother or my sister doing something stupid which proves my theory that I am the smartest sibling.
2. Thank you for toughening me up
Despite being horrible, you guys actually made me stronger. Between hair pulling, fighting over toys, and you guys constantly pranking your younger sister, there are actually some life lessons hidden within the torment. One hilarious, yet horrific example is that my brother and sister used to play dead all the time and I would be absolutely heartbroken each time. This taught me to not believe everything that I see or hear. This certainly paid off when school came around because I did not let anyone mess with me.
Karma definitely got to my siblings because now I'm the one pulling all the pranks on them.
3. Thank you for being my best friend
It has always been the three of us doing everything together and it will always be the three of us doing everything together. Although you were usually the ones to knock me down, you guys were the first ones to pick me right back up. There is no one on Earth that is a bigger asshole than your siblings, but they are also the biggest sweethearts (although that side is rare). There is no greater love than the love you have for your siblings. They are the first people you call when something upsetting or something excited has happened. They make you laugh so hard that your stomach is in knots and your face is running with tears. And when we aren't all making fun of each other, we all gang up and bash on our parents.
Thank you, Jade and Michael, for being the two greatest siblings anyone could ask for.
It will always be the three of us against the world.
