Exploring the World of my Younger Brother

One thing a lot of us experience is having or being a sibling. I am older than my brother, but we have four older step-siblings. I sometimes get to experience what being a younger sibling can feel like, but I have always wondered how my brother views it. Growing up, it was just me and him most of the time. We learned how to be each other’s best friends and worst enemies at the same time. My brother is very outgoing and having an outgoing sibling always confused me. I always wondered why he couldn’t just do what Mom asked him to, or why he didn’t think anything was wrong with talking to strangers. In reality, we just have very different minds. My brother is an act first and think later kind of kid while I am primarily a think first and maybe act later kind of kid. The trait of thinking after an act is a common one I see in younger siblings, mostly because they are more outgoing.

I know my brother pretty well, he has always been an expressive person. He is the type of kid who wanders off to talk to strangers in the grocery store or the kid who tries to rescue a dying mouse from our cat not realizing he is making it worse. My brother likes to play video games and basketball, and he likes to eat… A lot. He can come off as annoying or rude sometimes, but being his older sister means that I see a lot more than others. I know that he is pretty funny, he likes to dance, and he can be very caring if he wants to be. My brother has changed a lot over the years and so I decided to ask him what it’s like to be the youngest sibling.

“Well,” he says as he starts laughing. We are driving on the highway listening to some of our favorite music in my dad’s truck. He’s laughing because he wants to say something along the lines of “I’m the favorite, of course, and you suck!”. I told him he could be honest with me as long as he didn’t exaggerate. He starts with “I feel like our parents savor my life more, they probably do it because I’m their last kid.” Meaning his life experiences will be the last kinds of these experiences for our parents. He struggles with what to say next so I asked him about the characteristics of a typical younger sibling. He started by listing things like having a very large appetite, having a good imagination, and being adventurous. “As a younger sibling, I think that I have the most room for silly mistakes like falling and hurting myself,” he says. “I hurt myself a lot because I am adventurous, curious, and I don’t weigh consequences,” he explains. I see our exit coming up and turn on my blinker. As I begin to slow down my brother comments on how he would be a much better driver than me because he knows how to ride ATVs. I laugh at him and say: “I also know how to ride them, better than you actually.” He acts like that was the most hurtful thing anyone could have said. “I don’t think so, remember that time when you-” I cut him off with “Let’s get back on track…” After a long pause he says: “What about this thing I saw online? And proceeds to pull up a very funny video of someone demonstrating an “illegal move” when fighting siblings. It shows a person lying on his back kicking his feet in the air to deter his siblings from beating him up further. “Is that something you think everyone relates to?” I ask my brother. “I can recall doing that a few times,” he says. “A few times?” I say. “Yeah… a few times…” He says with a smirk on his face.

At this point, we are only a few minutes from home, and on the radio, a famous blonde is singing about a boy from London, while my brother and I are singing along. This is one of the songs my brother will play when I show him my Taylor Swift playlist, he just likes the beginning though. I see a pair of eyes in the distance and start to slow down. An Oppossum is walking down the road without a care in the world. “Bro thinks he can win against a giant hunk of metal coming at him,” says my brother. “He’s just that cool,” I say in return. We are only a few houses away from our house so I asked him if there was anything else he would like to add. “Well,” he says, “I think the most important thing is knowing how to get what you want.” I laugh at him a little and he says: “I’m serious, all you have to do is ask for something a lot bigger than your actual want. Then, when your parents say no, ask for something a little smaller than that. Once they say no again, you ask for your actual request.” “It sounds like you’ve got it down,” I say, “do you have any advice for your younger self?” My brother thinks for a minute as I pull into our driveway. I put the truck in park and he says: “I would tell my younger self to save money, share interests with our older siblings, and not be a snitch. That way I could have more money for a car, like you, I could get along better with our older siblings, and snitches get stitches.” “Those are some good tips, ready to head in?” I say as I turn the truck off and open the door.

Being a younger sibling is different for everyone. Doing this interview with my brother helped put things into perspective for me. I know my brother a little more now and I also know more about what it is like to be a younger sibling. My brother isn’t usually the best representation of a younger sibling because we are treated differently than most siblings, but he is still my younger brother and we still have a lot to learn.

“cat fight!” by dizznbonn is licensed under CC BY 2.0.