By Yocelyn Perez Posted March 10, 2023
When kids are young, we tend to overlook the big picture. When siblings are mentioned to kids and teens nowadays, the most common response you’ll get is something along the lines of “I hate them” or “I wish I never had a sibling”. I know this response all too well because of the fact that I used to be one of those people. But I now have a different perspective as time passed.
Everything feels different after your sibling no longer is living with you. It doesn’t hit you as hard when they first leave, it’s paradise in the beginning. You’re more excited over the fact that you may not have to share a bedroom or hear their annoying voice anymore. You’re finally able to do all those things you weren’t able to before because of the fear of them ruining it. It’s all perfect, maybe a little too perfect. But this is what you wanted.
Time will pass and you will finally be able to have a meal at the dinner table in peace. No screaming, no arguing, no kicking you under the table but sweet peace. You begin to notice your plate is still half full. Why is it half full? Then you realize that you grew accustomed to them “secretly” snatching food from you and they’re no longer there to take it. Next thing you know, days are passing and you start to catch yourself thinking about their annoying little habits that used to drive you insane; maybe those habits weren’t so annoying after all? You’ll try to deny the fact that deep down, you wish they would barge into your room and not leave until you force them to. But this is what you wanted, isn’t it?
Weeks are passing and the day you can’t wait to go home and rant about your day, they’re no longer there waiting for you to come home. I guess you could tell your parents about the news, but they wouldn’t really react in the way your sibling would from that point on, you will realize how quiet the house has become, it’s so quiet that you can practically hear your every move. All the chores that you both agreed to do were now piled up and became your responsibility to keep up with. Next time you feel like playing a game, you have to remember you are on your own because you already know your parents will be too tired to join you or let alone watch. This isn’t anything you expected it to be. You’ll wish you could go back in time and argue over what TV channel you should watch and whether they stole your charger. OR when you didn’t need an excuse to leave the house and get ice cream in the dead of night. You’ll wish you could go back and have someone to stick up for you when you got in trouble at home. You’ll finally open your eyes and realize that the person who was your safe place is no longer there to accompany you. You’ll finally understand that everything they’ve done wasn’t to torment you or make you miserable, it was all because they loved you.
So as we get older and our bonds will be split apart due to us growing up, may we appreciate our siblings more. Without them, we wouldn’t be where we are today. Hopefully, you will try and cherish these moments as things won’t be like this forever.
