For as long as I can remember, my older sister has been my best friend. Granted, we weren’t necessarily the closest when we were younger—likely because it’s almost a rite of passage to torment your older sister when you’re a child, but now that we’re older and more mature I can’t imagine anyone else playing the role my sister does in my everyday life.
When I entered my teenage years and began to dabble with social scenes and parties, my sister’s presence in my life definitely became more prominent. Whenever I was out drinking with friends, she was there to pick me up as soon as I asked her to, and she was also the one who cleaned me up before we got inside the house and faced my parents. Even now that we are both older, she always asks me if everything is alright when I’m out at a bar or a party, and oftentimes she will wait up to hear from me until she calls it a night.
Perhaps most people would find having a protective older sibling to be bothersome, and quite honestly, I did too when I was around 16. I felt as though I was responsible enough and that I did not need my older sister checking in on me, and for a while, I would lash out at my sister for her concern and tell her to back off. I would constantly remind her of that fact that she was not our mom and that I did not need her to play such an overbearing role in my life.
Now that I am older, when I look back at how I handled my sister’s concern for my well-being, I realize that I took her presence in my life and her concern for my safety for granted. Since we are both adults now, I am able to acknowledge how fortunate I was to have a protective older sibling, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
Having that reassurance and knowing my sister is merely a phone call or text away is one of the most comforting realizations a younger sibling could ever have, and I hope all siblings are able to experience this truly wonderful characteristic of their relationship with one another.
I realize that the relationship I share with my sister is rather unique and that not all younger siblings are able to rely so heavily on their older siblings, hence why I am stressing the fact that I am truly grateful for how much she does for me.
I also realize that while I am grateful for having a protective older sister, others may not wish for such a thing, and some siblings may never have this type of relationship which is completely normal as well.
I would argue that my relationship with my sister is actually abnormal to a certain extent. The relationship that exists between siblings, regardless of age, is an incredibly unique thing, and I just happened to luck out with my protective big sister.
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