On Being Big Sis

“A sibling may be the keeper of one's identity, the only person with the keys to one's unfettered, more fundamental self.” ~Marian Sandmaier

What starts off as a night of just congregating for a quick webcam photo, morphs into hours of joking, dancing, and posting silly videos on older sibling's facebook walls. Can it actually be possible for a person to never know exactly how much she loves being an older sister until one exact [and fairly recent] moment? Somewhere between dancing to N'Sync holiday classics and fighting for the most camera time, this girl fell in love--with a seventeen year old chic who marches to the beat of her own drum and has a bohemian state of mind, and with a six year old boy who radiates innocence and has a heart as big as the world.

Being an older sibling is like being cast in a role that you didn't audition for, or landing a job without having gone to the interview. For the most part, we don't ask for these positions, but we find ourselves inheriting it's responsibilities regardless. With statements like "Look out for..." "Set an example for..." and "Take ___ with you" constantly being thrown our way, there is no wonder why being an older sibling can seem like a bit of a burden. However, it is a blessing too. This Christmas break, while watching my sister and brother dance for the camera, I discovered just how rewarding it is to have younger siblings. For most of my life I have been so focused on what I could potentially teach them as being their older sister--that I was completely oblivious to the numerous lessons they have instilled in me.

At an age when most girls are just starting to "find themselves," my teenage sister has a pretty solid idea of the young lady she is becoming. It may have been her decision to turn vegetarian at the tender age of eleven in a house full of carnivores, or her decision to do service in Uganda over a summer vacation filled with fun in the sun...Nevertheless, she has taught me the importance of being true to myself, and not caring so much about what other people think.

My little brother, on the other hand, has taught me so much about myself in terms of love and caring for others. I never knew I had the emotional capacity to care for another individual as much as I do him, and I never knew what it truly meant to love selflessly until him. There is not a thing in the world that I wouldn't do for him, or any of my siblings for that matter.

So as their singing and dancing winds down, I cannot help but smile as I think about how much of an impact these two have made on my life. There is definitely a give and take when it comes to these sibling relationships--and I LOVE that! That's my serendipitous moment... While we older sibs find ways in which we can be there for our younger sibs, let us not forget to recognize and appreciate the many ways that they are there for us. <3