How Older Siblings Are Superheroes And Best Friends At The Same Time

Older siblings are always a bit like super heroes, although some would (rightly) say that sometimes they are also super villains. The special status of being the first child usually brings with it a lot of privileges, but at the same time burdens and difficulties. With the first child, parents learn, often through trial and error, the arduous task of parenting. At the same time, the children also learn to be “grown up”.

The older siblings are the ones that open the way for those who follow them. They are the ones who have to go to school alone for the first time. That’s how they can tell their younger brothers and sisters how to face the first day. They will also be there to protect the younger ones from any dangers during school life. They are the ones who teach the others how to play different games or stand up for themselves. Older siblings always show the way.

Quite often older siblings become a kind of extension of the mother/father figure, all in one. They are in charge when the parents are not there. But as they are neither the mother nor the father, they also end up being close friends and “cover-uppers” of naughty deeds!

The older siblings that care of the little ones

The first thing that many parents instill in older siblings is that they should be an example for the little ones. This means that they will be more closely monitored and that there will be less tolerance of their actions. He or she is the one who must face the risks and difficulties before the others. They are also the ones that are expected to take care of the little ones and to answer for them.

These days laws have become stricter, but just a few decades ago it wasn’t uncommon for an 8-year-old boy to take care of a 5-year-old. It varies from family to family, but in almost all, parents tend to ask the older child to assume the part of their parenting responsibilities. This gives the older child special authority, but it also creates pressure and sometimes anxiety.

Burdens and responsibilities

An older brother who feels overburdened with responsibilities, or unfairly treated with respect to others, can develop different character problems. He may take things out on his younger siblings because of the excessive burden he’s carrying on his shoulders. Or, on the other hand, if he’s very scared of his parents, he may do things to his own detriment rather than adversely affect the care of his siblings.

It is quite usual for the elder brother or sister to develop a fear of breaking the rules. This is especially due to the fact that that his parents are continually reminding him that he is in charge of enforcing them. That’s why older children tend to be more conservative and mature faster, but often in an artificial way. On the other hand, if they don’t fulfill their responsibilities they can feel guilty. Conversely, just as parents give older children more responsibilities, they should also reward them more when they carry them out well.

What only older brothers know

Only older siblings can experience and understand what it feels like to be faced with certain situations. They will always be something of a superhero in that respect. It’s true that sometimes they take advantage of their position, but they are also that “savior” who appears from time to time to rescue their sibling from some terrible danger. younger children adore and detest them at the same time. But whatever the case, they are always a reference for them.

Our unique older siblings

These are some of the things that make them unique:

• Even when they are a lot older, the other brothers expect them to act as their guardians or protectors.
• They have to learn to give up toys, their freedom and their wishes, in favor of their younger siblings.
• They find it difficult to understand how their younger siblings sometimes win a game or achieve something before they do.
• Deep down, they know that they were the guinea pig in several of their parents’ failed experiments.
• They grant themselves the right to torment their younger siblings, but they will never allow a stranger to harm them in the slightest.
• They show off in front of them because of the new rights and benefits they acquire when they enter adolescence.

Our older brothers and sisters deserve a big “thank you” from the bottom of the hearts of their younger siblings. Protecting us from danger, they offered us a lifeline on countless occasions when we were growing up. They were like a bridge to us when we had to confess wrongdoing to our parents, and helped us to be able to face them. They have defended, cared for and encouraged us. Our older brothers and sisters are, without a doubt, one of the pillars we had the privilege of growing up with.