How does it feel to have a sibling?

I used to resent my parents for having so many children when I was younger. We had a total of five children in the family, which I hated since my parents were too preoccupied with their jobs, and as the firstborn child, I was responsible for my siblings. Of course, as a child, I want to enjoy being young, to play with my friends, to read a lot of books, and to do all that my peers do. But I'm unable to do so because I'm constantly caring for my younger siblings. When it was time for me to go to school, our youngest would weep because she didn't want me to leave her. She prefers being with me rather being with our mother. And I dislike it because it prevents me from doing the things I want to accomplish. My mother later gave birth to their sixth child when I was sixteen years old, and I hated it even more. I believed that at my age, I should be enjoying my adolescent years, and that I no longer desired a baby sister. I imagined not even touching the baby once they returned home from the hospital where my mother had given birth, to show them how much I hate having another baby sister.

But, alas, I saw the baby the next day when they returned home, and my heart melted. She's far too adorable to be overlooked, and her small hands are so delicate that I find myself wanting to cuddle her all the time. She also has a wonderful scent that makes me want to sniff her like a dog. Every day, the baby brought us joy, and she grew up to be very close to me. And as time went by, I just found myself being her second mother.

Now that I'm older, I realize that having siblings isn't all awful, and I'm embarrassed that I used to despise them. Here are some of the things I've learned from having siblings.

You have someone (or several people) to whom you can turn when you need help. When you have siblings, continuous small arguments and quarrels are unavoidable. You'll get into conflicts with them because of your differences, especially if you're still young. There's also the matter of favoritism; admit it, there have been times in your life when you didn't feel like you were the favorite of your parents. And that your parents favor one of your siblings over the other, causing you to be envious. However, as you grow older, this becomes less of an issue. There are other pressing matters to consider aside from questioning who is the favorite. When you're a grownup, you'll run across problems, and sometimes there's no one else to talk to besides your siblings. I used to worry that because I was the firstborn, my siblings would never understand me because they were too young. I never share them secrets because I'm afraid they'll betray me and inform our parents. But now I'm down to only them.

You know you can count on their help at any time. Our siblings might sometimes be our enemies. As I previously stated, quarrels, disagreements, and bickering are unavoidable. They're the folks you don't like but can't seem to get rid of. You may despise them, but you can't stand seeing them suffer. I don't know about others, but I feel that I am the only one who has the right to hate my siblings. Regardless of how much I hate my sibling, I will not stand by and let other people hurt them. I may not always show it, and I certainly don't talk about it, but I genuinely care about them and have always had their backs, as I'm sure they do as well.

You have someone to borrow stuff. Shirts, dresses, shoes, and handbags Simply go to your sister's or brother's room if you need it. Just make sure you get their permission before using it, or else you'll start a ‘war’. Sometimes I'm not sure which is for whom anymore. They simply use my stuff and vice versa.

They are capable of assisting you. When you have a task to complete, you turn to your sibling for assistance. When I was still in college, there were moments when I couldn't sleep because I was attempting to finish my papers and portfolio. There was a lot to accomplish, and thankfully, my sisters assisted me in completing them on time. And siblings can do more than these, there are other things that only them can do for us.

Some of my friends advised me to get a boyfriend who can drive so that I can travel wherever I want without worrying about transportation. NO. Why would I do that? Why would I do anything like that when I have a brother who is willing to drive for me? Of course, I have to appreciate the advantages of having a brother who can drive while he is still young and doesn’t have a girlfriend yet lol.

When you're bored, you can have someone entertain you. As I previously stated, I was not pleased to learn that we were expecting a new baby sister. But now I'm grateful that she was conceived by my mother. Since she’s the youngest, we always treat her like a baby even though she’s now 10 years old. We have someone to tease anytime we are bored because she entertains us. She's also obedient, so she'd do whatever was requested of her. She's also my human doll because like a human Barbie doll, I dress her up, style her hair, and sometimes even apply make-up to her, and that is really fun!

There are good and bad aspects to having siblings. Having to cope with comparison is one of the downsides. Though I was never compared to my siblings, I feel awful when I hear my mother or others compare them to me; I know they don't like it when they're compared to me, and who knows, they may harbor negative thoughts against me as a result of it. Another downside is jealousy; we become envious of our sibling or sister for various reasons. There are more downsides if I go on, but if you think about it, the positives outnumber the negatives, so let's just concentrate on that.

What about you? What do you like about having siblings?