What are some qualities that a good older sibling should possess?

Buying beer for the young lads.

I’m very protective of my little sisters, they don’t go anywhere without my approval. I’m 11 years older than the second oldest, so taking care of them was something I did for almost all my life. I love them so much, I do my best in making them happy…growing up I had my parents all to myself….and when they were born, we had a bunch of relatives living in our house..and its been like that ever since…My mom isn’t a stay at home mom anymore, she works full time like my dad in order to pay the bills and to pay for all the people living in the house…which makes me sad…My siblings deserve to have mom and dad time like I did when I was a child…And its makes me sad that its not really possible because of everything my parents are dealing with….So I try my best to play the role as their big sister, and a little of mom and dad…I’ve made it clear to them that I wasn’t put on this earth to be their best friend, but to love them and protect them, and try my best in making their lives complete until they’re ready to live on their own…

Older sisters should know how to bake.
Older brothers should be patient, and be able to teach how to throw a ball.

I had an older brother. I loved that he unwaveringly believed that his little sister would change the world. In fact, that’s what he said when he introduced me to anyone. My name and that I would change the world and he’d give reasons why. I never forgot that. In my oldest, I love that he lets it go if his younger brother unfairly demands a toy that the oldest was playing with. He doesn’t always do that, but when he does, it’s a miraculous thing to watch. I think rather than what they should have, big siblings shouldn’t blackmail their younger siblings, shouldn’t embarrass them on purpose or pull the age card and shouldn’t be competitive.

In reality, siblings don’t really owe each other anything. My older brother is mentally distrubed, and I was always the one both my brother and younger sister looked up to.

Children learn by example, and the parents have to set the tone of sharing, respect and self esteem.

My older brother is going to turn 23 tomorrow, and my younger sister is 10, so I definitely know what to do and not to do. Older brothers should know how to help with school work. Older sisters should do your hair, know how to bake (@filmfann – so true!), and know how to sew.

I know how to bake, sew, and knit!! I make my siblings hats all the time. And I brush their hair every morning for school….I’m always hoping that I’m doing a good job, these answers certainly gave me some good ideas.

Always sibling should look out for one another, no matter the age (:

I’m an oldest, but I always wished I had an older brother to show me the ropes. Especially about girls.

@wundayatta now that you know better what would you tell your younger brother about girls? if you dont mind iam curious

If my brother wanted my advice, a stretch of the imagination that would reach across the Pacific Ocean, I would tell him not to be afraid to talk to them. They are also worried about how they come across, and even if they think you are a total nerd, they will likely be polite because they’ve been taught, mostly, not to be mean to someone who asks them out.

Of course, having been a total nerd in a time when that wasn’t cool, I never tested this theory out. So really, it’s what I would have wanted to be told, had I had an older brother.

Actually, this is a silly exercise. I don’t know any better about my then self now, than I did then. If I could go back and give myself advice about girls, I don’t know if this advice would work or not. I was stubborn and afraid of rejection, so I never would have done anything to clean up. I had the beginnings of a scraggly beard and long hair and I wore dippy looking bellbottoms and skinny, weird-colored t-shirts that often came out of my jeans to show little expanses of my belly.

I’m sure I looked like a loser to most of the girls. I think I asked a couple out and I know one turned me down. I may have had one date with the other, but I don’t think we talked after that. So, based on that experience, I don’t know what I could have told a younger brother. And even now, I’m not sure I would have anything to say that would fit the circumstances of the time. It was, as they say, another fucking growth experience. AFGE.

Maybe I’d tell my brother that if you’re hopeless, you’re not hopeless forever. Some day, you’ll meet someone who appreciates your quirks, and that some day will probably not be too many years from now. High school is a scum pond. It’s not worth beating yourself up over what does or does not happen there.