Being an older sister has not only made me learn more about myself, but also has helped me grow emotionally and mentally. When you have someone younger than you always looking up to you, it helps you make wise decisions and look out for others. Here are a few things I have learned from being an older sister!
1. How to set an example
There have been multiple situations that I have been placed in where I am given a choice on how to handle them. During these situations, my younger sister always crosses my mind. What would I want her to do in this situation? How would I want her to see me handle it? When these questions cross my mind, not only am I making better decisions for myself, but I am also setting a good example for her.
2. How to stay strong for others
Families go through many hardships together. Whether its death, illness, financial issues, or anything that brings pain, it is important to be there for each other. As the older sibling, I feel that it is important to stay strong for my younger sister. Personally, I hurt more when I see my sister struggling, so if me being strong helps her, it also helps me. This doesn’t mean I don’t acknowledge my own pain, but that putting her feelings first usually ends up helping the both of us in the end.
3. How to teach
As the older sibling, you experience everything first. This goes from high school to learning how to do makeup and applying to colleges. With that being said, your younger sibling is going to have a lot of questions for you when it comes time for them to go through all the things you have already gone through. Teaching someone younger than you comes with a lot of patience that not everyone is born with. Things that are common knowledge for you might take them a 30-minute talk to understand. It is important to be thoughtful of how your sibling learns and how you can teach them most efficiently.
4. How to be the bigger person and take the blame
Alright, I think every older sibling in this world can agree that it is easier to just take the blame of little arguments you have with your siblings than have them get your parents involved in it. Although this is something that mostly happens when we are younger, I have realized lately what it has taught me. Most of the fights young siblings have are extremely irrelevant. Arguments like this happen as we get older too, but not everyone handles them maturely. From what I remember as a little kid, it is ALWAYS easier to put your ego aside and be the bigger person in a situation than to make a big deal out of something insignificant.
5. How to love unconditionally
Okay, time to get sappy. Being an older sister has made me extremely nurturing and empathetic. Sometimes I feel like her mother, lol. Siblings have a different bond that no one else can match. If my sister is hurting, I am hurting. If my sister just received great news, I am filled with joy for her. I feel all of her emotions because of how much I care about her and love her.
To all the siblings out there, keep loving and supporting each other. Trust me, it means more than you can imagine.
Xoxo,
Melody