Siblings with Big Age Gaps: An Honest Confession | By Teh Su Syuen
Famous actor Michael J. Fox once said, “Family is not an important thing, it’s everything.” This quote means a lot to me as I can personally relate to it. I treasure my family to the moon and back because they mean the world to me. Although my siblings could be a pain in the neck sometimes, I know I can count on them when it truly matters, and to me, that’s what being siblings is all about.
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| Illustrated by Carmen @wen31xx__ |
Being in a big family of 6 can be really hectic sometimes. With 2 loving, hardworking parents and 3 younger sisters who are still studying, there is never a boring day that goes by in the house. My youngest sister who is 10 years younger than me is currently 9 years old. Have you ever wondered what it’s like to have a large age gap sibling, more specifically, one with a 10-year age gap? Well, I present to you this entertaining and relaxing article about what it feels like in real life. For those who do have siblings with large age gaps like me, here are some interesting facts that you probably can relate to.
First of all, we, the older siblings, tend to get excited when we introduce new TV shows that our younger siblings haven’t watched before. This is because we are excited to have someone else who looks forward to watching those shows as much as we do. Introducing new shows to them might even create a special bond between us as we would be looking forward to watching the shows together and thus, creating our very own movie time! I still remember the day I introduced ‘Supa Strikas’ to my younger sister and she instantly loved it. Although this TV show isn’t really that popular among children nowadays, we still enjoy watching it together. We would laugh at the funny moments or whenever the characters did something absurd in the show. So, if you’re searching for a way to strengthen your relationship with your siblings, this is one good way to do so.
Secondly, even though we may not be that old in age, we would feel old meeting our younger siblings’ friends. My youngest sibling and her friends would always seem so lively and full of life as she runs around the house, looking for someone to be her playmate while I can’t relate because of the multiple deadlines piling up. To her defence, she is from a different generation, one that is still growing up and having fun. Similar to that, we would often feel more mature and wiser compared to them, which tend to result in us butting in and giving them our best advice, whether they want it or not. However, in times when they do accept our advice, we would feel as if we managed to achieve something big and we would even feel a sense of accomplishment for helping our younger siblings.
More often than not, there are times where we would feel jealous when our younger siblings are able to have fun while on the other hand, we have to deal with the harsh reality of the present. While our younger siblings are still enjoying their childhood days, we have to deal with school, homework, deadlines and for some of us, even work. However, if we think of it from another perspective, we were once children as well, having the time of our lives enjoying our childhood just like them. Instead of feeling jealous, why not join in the fun? Spend time with them once in a while and take a break from your mundane day-to-day tasks to tag along in their joys and playtimes.
Last but not least, I’m sure this would have happened to some of you before, where people assume that our younger sibling is our kid. As we’re taking care of our younger siblings, it’d probably look as if we’re taking care of our own child to others. This can be a big laugh to some while it may come as an insult to others because “hey, we don’t look that old!” Due to the large age gap, there certainly will be a big difference in terms of appearances and demeanour. However, it’s undeniably fun to see how others would react when we tell them that we are actually siblings.
As the author Clara Ortega said, “To the outside world, we all grow old. But not to brothers and sisters. We know each other as we always were, we know each other’s hearts, we share private family jokes. We remember family feuds and secrets, family griefs and joys.” Even after all the arguments and disagreements, at the end of the day, I’m still grateful for my siblings, because we will always be there for each other. To me, that’s what being siblings is all about. My siblings will always have a special place in my heart. So, this Siblings Day on the 10th of April, why not tell your siblings how much they mean to you, because in the end, siblings do love each other, even though some of us might not want to admit it. 😉
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