When I was in the ninth grade my mother gave birth to a puffy eyed baby boy. I already had a brother, but although I loved him dearly I was too young to truly appreciate watching him grow. I was present in the delivery room while my youngest brother was born, videotaping the miraculous birth. As he grew, I thought of it as my duty as his big sister to protect him as my own, forming a strong emotional bond with him. I would sometimes awake at night to feed him a bottle while my hard-working mother cared for the elderly at night. My stepfather was there but sometimes I remember just wanting to feed him myself. When the weather was nice I would push him all over town in his stroller and even while I was pregnant I would take him for rides on his bike in the summer. I enjoyed it. Now, five years later, I have a child of my own and no longer live at home. My brother is upset that I do not live at home, but loves his niece very much and constantly asks when I will be coming to visit. Keeping my relationship with my youngest brother special is very important to me.
When trying to keep a sibling relationship special there are many things that you can do. One thing, the most important in my eyes, is spending time with your younger sibling. Visit or call often and let them know that you are thinking about them. Once you move out of the family home your younger sibling may not understand. They may think they will not see you again. That is how it seems to my brother. He acts like he will not see me again for a long time even though I visit often. Young children look up to their older siblings for guidance and encouragement. Spending quality time such as playing games, going for walks, watching movies, reading books, or taking a trip to the playground will mean alot to a child. It will make you feel good too.
Secondly, becoming knowledgeable and interested in your siblings everyday activities will let them know that you care. My brother, who is in pre-school, learns simple things such as songs and letters and numbers. I have him teach me the songs that he learns and it is pretty fun. I know many of the songs he taught me and I sing them to my daughter. When I used to live near his school I used to go pick him up on the days that my mother had something to do and I made sure I asked him how his day was. I always looked at his papers when we returned to the apartment and told him how good of a job he did. I was interested in what he did that day and I made sure that I showed him that.
Sibling relationships are very important. Once your parents are gone your siblings are the closest family you have left. You should try to keep good relationships with them so that you can enjoy the relationship for the rest of your life. It is true that you may have squabbles with your siblings from time to time but you need to learn to get over them and mend the relationship. It is important. Especially young children need to have a good relationship with their older siblings because they look up to them. They need to know that they are loved. Too many times older siblings simply pay no attention to their young siblings leaving the child to feel alone and abandoned. Try your best to keep your sibling relationships good because it will pay off in the long run. Besides that, spending quality time will make you feel good along with your siblings. This summer I plan on taking my brother out to the park and for walks just like I always have. I just hope that when my brother is older he will look back and smile, realizing how much I cared.
