There is a twelve-year gap between my youngest sister and myself and man I was completely unprepared for the hurricane that little bundle of sass brought with her when she was born. Being the oldest of four already, I thought I would be at least a little familiar with the territory. Turns out I was wrong. That being said, my little sister is one of the best things to ever happen to me and I'm a much better person because of the things watching her grow up has taught me. Here are 17 things you better get used to if you're way, way older than your baby sibling.
All those movies you absolutely LOVED as a kid? You get to rewatch them now, AND expose your little sibling to the MAGIC that is Disney.
From Peter Pan to Cinderella, all those movies you watched over and over again as a kid get brought back out for you to enjoy again. You get to sit down in front of the TV as that magic castle glitters on the screen, waiting anxiously for the movie to start so you can watch their little eyes light up. They'll fall in love with each of the characters just like you did and when the credits roll, they'll want to sprinkle pixie dust like Tink and ride on a magic carpet like Jasmine and Aladdin.
You catch A LOT of side eye from rando’s in public… Because they think you’re their mom.
When I first started taking Reese places with me, I couldn't figure out why so many people kept staring at me. In the grocery store, at the park, anywhere in public, people just couldn't keep their eyes off us. Finally, after the checkout lady told her to "ask mom if she could have a sucker" and I looked around for her mom, I realized its because they thought she was mine. Yea guys I had her at 12? I still get stares when we're together, always somebody to disapprove of the teen mom. But is it really anybody else's business? No.
Real talk though, sometimes it actually feels like you are.
Being old enough to change diapers while your sibling is currently in them really sucks, but we potty trained, and we got through it. Seriously though, sometimes, your parents need some help, and you're kind of like a live-in babysitter. I've been puked on and peed on, and even pooped on once or twice. I've dealt with multiple meltdowns that made me want to rip my hair out and tantrums loud enough to make my ears bleed. But all those things were worth it, they gave me a strong sense of responsibility and an even better bond with my itty bitty sis.
You better get used to hearing “It’s like built in birth control” or something of the sort from literally any adult who see’s you taking care of them.
Honestly, I don't think I can count the number of times somebody has said this to me. And the worst part about it is, they're all right. Watching my sister grow older and dealing with all the stuff I previously mentioned just reminded me that I was extremely not ready to have children, not that I needed that much of a reminder. Helping raise my little sister taught me a lot about what it's like and I'm excited to SOMEDAY have itty bites of my own but for right now, she is all I need.
You learn to love the constant loop of Disney Junior and Nick Jr. cartoons, even though they’re nowhere near as good as the ones you used to watch.
If I'm being honest, children's TV has gone extremely downhill. But that might just be because I'm older now and those shows aren't exactly targeted at me anymore. With that said, I have to admit, a little Bubble Guppies or Paw Patrol isn't so bad sometimes. However, Peppa Pig is where I draw the line.
You get kind of jealous of the cool toys they have because when you were that age, those kinds of gadgets didn’t even exist.
When I was little, (which wasn't even that long ago) we didn't have half the stuff that fills my sister's room now. We played with Polly Pockets and Bratz Dolls, and my sister plays with toys that literally hatch out of an egg to play with you (Hatchables if you were wondering). My sister has a pink tablet and some sweet kitty cat headphones to match, whereas I had a FIRST gen DS. It's insane how far kids toys have come along, and I'm a little jealous, honestly.
Your inner child appetite thrives because you get to eat “kids” food again.
One of my favorite things about having a much younger sibling is that we always had all kinds of snacks in the house. My parents started making Mac n cheese and hot dogs all the time cause that's what she liked the best, and it was acceptable to eat Gogurts and Danimals. Noodles and butter was something I never gave up, but now there was somebody to eat them with me. And judge me if you want, but those Gerber Puff things were and will always be to die for.
You continually are astonished by how fast they can find the Youtube app/ games on your phone.
I swear, my sister can have my phone unlocked and on Youtube in 1.5 seconds flat. I don't understand how she does it but she does and it's crazy to me. It took me two years to learn how to text on a flip phone but it seems like she was born with the complete knowledge of smartphones.
You sometimes feel bad for going out and being a teenager.
It sucks when I have to leave her at home, especially when she gives me those big ole puppy eyes to try to get me to stay. Sometimes, I wanna go out and have fun with people above 4 feet tall but it still breaks my heart. Balancing the two takes some time to get the hang of, its been seven years and I still don't have it down quite yet.
They’ll still think you’re the coolest, even when your other siblings don’t anymore.
I don't know about you, but my other three siblings lost interest in me pretty quickly after they entered middle school. But my littlest sister, she still thinks I'm the coolest thing since sliced bread, and I am more than okay with that.
You become a better person because the person you are right now is the person they look up to the most.
I think more about my actions now that those little eyes are always looking to me for guidance. The kind of decisions I make now could make an impact on her and I want to be the absolute best remodel I can be so she grows up to be the best she can be too. She looks to me for guidance and I wouldn't ever want to steer her wrong. I want nothing more than for her to grow into a strong, respectful, and independent woman, so I need to do what I can to make sure that happens.
Going to college is 10 times harder because you won’t be able to see they’re sweet little faces every day anymore.
The summer before I left for college, I babysat my sister every other weekday. Let me tell you, that last day with her broke my heart. And seeing her tears as I left to move into my dorm hurt me more than I can say. Not waking up to her big blue eyes staring over the edge of my bed on Saturdays was so hard and I missed her so much, it took everything I had not to come home every weekend.
But it's also 10 times better whenever you come home for the weekend.
When I do finally come home, the way her little face lights up when she sees me makes my whole day. She runs to me every time yelling "CHEY I MISSED YOU" and her little arms wrap around my leg so tight, it makes me so happy and I wouldn't mind if she ever let go. Coming home to her tiny face without a doubt makes being away from her for so long worth it.
Kids and Sibs weekend is infinitely more cool because they’re one hundred precent more excited to be doing “big kid” things with you.
Having her come up to my neck of the woods for the weekend was awesome. Instead of begging me to go to parties, she was cool with having a movie night in my dorm room and eating all the ice cream and late night snacks her heart desired. Breakfast at the dining hall had her jumping up and down and she was so excited about a walk around campus, it might as well have been Disney land.
You get to be a kid again once in a while.
With such a sizable age gap, you've probably already grown up a bit since you were into playing Barbies or monster trucks but with a little sibling, you get to go back and experience all those things one more time. You get to play "the floor is lava" or pretend there are pirates in the backyard that you have to battle again. You get to relive being a little kid through the eyes of your sibling and it's even better the second time around because you have a buddy to do it with.
You get so proud of them when they learn how to do things you once had to do for them.
Just like you get to re-live the fun parts of childhood, you get to watch them do things that have just become mundane things to you. When she learned how to tie her shoes, I was so proud because she sang the bunny ear song and kept trying until she got it. And when they were finally tied and she was proud of herself too. When she learned to read, I was infinitely more proud and a little excited because she shared the same love for reading that I do. You don't realize how big of steps these were for you until you watch them do it and it makes you realize that they're getting bigger way too fast.
At the end of the day, you gain a best friend that you’ll have for life.
I have a best friend for life, and she has one in me too. I get to watch her grow like a weed and listen to her sassy little voice for the rest of my life and I wouldn't have it any other way. I can't wait until I can help her get ready for prom and sit in the stands as she walks across that stage to get her diploma… as long as those days are a loooooong time from now. For right now, I'm content to guide her into being the wonderfully brilliant girl I know she's going to be.
Lumiere figure at the Disney Store at the Ala Moana Shoppi… | Flickr
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