Sibling Rivalry

Being one of five children has never been the easiest situation.  There is always a wait, always a line, always someone else talking to Mom when you need her, and therefore a perfect reason to fight.  I have three sisters and one brother, and I can honestly say that sibling rivalries are perhaps one of my favorite things about being a brother.  This may seem strange, and it is.

My sister Abby, who is sixteen years old, and I have one of the strongest relationships that we swear is from 14 years of loathing each other.  From the day Abby was born, I had a problem with her.  As a two year old, I was in constant trouble for smacking my baby sister, making faces at her, and purposefully bothering her at every opportunity.  As I grew older and more bold, I commonly would pick her up and drop her on purpose.  I have no idea what drove me to such drastic and brutal methods, but my parents truly believe it was due to the fact that I liked being the only child.  And as we grew older, the hostility between us only grew.

She, to her credit, was much more civil to me than I ever was to her.  Most of the rivalry was created in my mind, while she longed for me to say a word to her that wasn't uttered in breathless impatience or anger.  We spent hours sitting on the couch together sobbing, as my parents forced us to hold hands as a punishment.  We hurt each other, and we constantly strove to surpass the other's achievements.  It was in trying to best each other, though,  that we began to grow closer.  Instead of yelling and competing, we spent time together, and for the first time, I realized that she wasn't all that bad.  She truly was a fun person to be around, but I had been too blind and consumed in my own arrogance to see it.

Why is this one of my favorite things about being a brother?  Now that these rivalries has passed me, I can look back with my sister and laugh about how truly ignorant and childish we were.  Even more entertaining though, is watching my other siblings act just as I did when I was their age.

Many families have a history of sibling relationships.  Very often, when I speak to my parents, aunts, uncles, and other families, they all have stories of great climactic battles between siblings.  The conflicts between themselves and their brothers and sisters are sources of happiness and laughs.  Sibling rivalries at a young age seemed so important.  Yet as we grow older, blessed by the wisdom of age, we can look back on the memories with fondness and humor.   Perhaps my sister and I did waste many years together.  Despite this, neither of us would go back and change a thing, because our rivalry helped us grow closer.  Those of us with siblings can all relate.  The antics of the rivalries we had can be looked upon as sources of true joy and the roots of strong family relationships.