I’m the youngest of four kids, and the youngest of seven if you count step-siblings. Being six years younger than my closest sibling, I had a different experience growing up with my siblings than most people do. Nevertheless, my siblings have taught me a million things in my short almost 20 years of life, and I don’t think I’ve ever properly thanked them, so here it goes: Thank you for everything.
Thank you for letting me pretend to be older
Like I said, I’m six years younger than the next youngest sibling in my family. That means when my brother turned 21, I was only 15 and still six years away from being able to drink; talk about feeling like the baby of the family. When New Year’s rolled around though, I wasn’t left out of the celebration just because I was 15 (sorry mom).
Likewise, I’ve never felt like I was treated like a baby. I’ve never felt that my siblings put me down because I’m younger or treated me different because they’re older. When we talk, they don’t act like I’m six, 10 or even 14 years older than me; they treat me like we’re equals.
Thank you for letting me watch you make mistakes
They say you can’t learn if you don’t make mistakes, but watching someone you look up to make mistakes teaches you the same lesson. My oldest sibling is 14 years older than me, so I’ve seen my siblings make every mistake you can imagine, including not only stupid teenage mistakes, but also big deal adult mistakes. Watching their mishaps in life has given me a much better sense of whether or not something is a good choice.
Thank you for taking care of me
Older siblings are the free babysitters that every parent cherishes, and whether they were excited about taking care of me or not, my siblings were always there to keep an eye on me, change my diaper and make sure I was happy and fed. When we hit bumpy roads, they were always there to make sure I was smiling and that I knew I had someone to make sure I was okay.
Thank you for teaching me
I can pretend all I want that I know everything, but I don’t. I mean, my siblings don’t know everything either, but they know different things than me. I might be able to answer their question about why drugs make you feel good (go neuroscience!), but if I ever have questions about opening a business, I would ask my sister who opened her own dance studio, or if I ever decided to become a teacher, I would ask my brother, the middle school teacher.
Thank you for loving me
No matter how lonely I’ve ever gotten, or how sad I’ve been, I’ve always had all of my older siblings behind me. No matter how alienated I felt in school, my siblings have always loved me and have always made sure I knew it. When I’ve gone through the tough times, I know I can expect a text from them making sure I’m doing OK and letting me know I’ve got someone to talk to.
Even if I don’t say it every day, their love has helped me become who I am today and has helped me grow as a person.
My siblings mean the world to me. Siblings are the best friends you don’t get to choose, and even if you scream and shout at each other every day, you’re still siblings and you’ll always have each other. Thank your siblings for everything they do, and cherish them because not everyone is lucky enough to have them. For those of us who are lucky enough siblings, no one in this world will ever replace them.
