Often, those who have younger siblings assume a parental role early on in life. Younger siblings view older siblings as an authority figure in just about everything. Personally, being an older sister has afforded me many valuable life lessons from an early age, and have benefited me into my adult years.
Here are a few common characteristics of people who have much younger siblings:
They Take Pride In Taking Care Of Others
Having a younger sibling affords the older sibling a duty to take care of others from an early beginning. This transpires into their adult lives. Friends who have younger siblings naturally come to the rescue when someone they know needs help. It has become their second nature, and they take pride in their ability to take this initiative.
They Are More Mature Than Their Peers
I know this first hand. I have two younger siblings, and I can recall memories from my childhood where my friends would call me “boring” or “not fun” because I would often become critical of immature behaviour. Being an older sister required me to put aside childlike tendencies, and assume a more mature role. This trait has continued to resonate in my adult life, although I feel my peers are finally catching up at this point! People with younger siblings are molded into a role that requests that they lead by example and demonstrate responsible decision making.
They Are More Responsible
When you have a younger sibling or two, maybe even three, your parents have probably asked you to take on more responsibility when you were younger. Whether it would be caring for your younger siblings by watching them, playing with them, or teaching them, you were trained at an early age to assume the leading role. Often, people with younger siblings are more responsible in their adult lives, because they were ingrained with this sense of duty.
They’re Natural Leaders
People who have younger siblings have natural tendencies to act like parents. They tend to look out for others, offer guidance, and generally lead. Because of these traits, those with younger siblings tend to be that friend that can act a little maternal at times.
They Have Keen Self-Awareness
Often when you assume the role of a caregiver at an early age, it requires that you have keen awareness. Meaning, you have awareness of others that you serve, but you’re also mindful and completely aware of what you need as well. Because of this keen self-awareness, those who have younger siblings can be the type of people you’ll often want to call upon when life gets tough.
They Are Considerate
Being an older sibling requires that you be considerate of others and this starts at a very early age. It isn’t always about you, and those with younger siblings know this first hand. When it comes to friendships, those who have had to put others in front of themselves make great friends, since they learned to be considerate and compassionate from a young age.
Conclusion
If you have younger siblings, or have a friend that has younger siblings, you will likely notice them having the traits listed above. These traits are what help an individual become more reliable and a better lifelong friend. You will definitely want to keep someone like this around!
