Things you’ll only get if you’re constantly compared to your sister

Why is it that people often think that just because you aren’t an only child, you and your siblings are automatically clones of each other? We may have some similar features, granted – the same borrower-sized ears, the crooked nose, or the same sense of humour that no one but you and your sibling can comprehend.

But, why are these similarities honed in on so much by those people who every time they see you feel it necessary to say how much you’ve grown since 1999?

No grade you get is good enough 

Older siblings often complain that the younger ones get it easy, whereas the younger siblings frequently adhere that the elders set the bar for them to sustain – no matter how unachievable. The constant scrutiny for having not chosen the same path as your elders is all too frequent if you aren’t the first born, but it may be that which pushes you to be where you are now. Nevertheless, siblings face the possibility of being a total let down all too frequently when competed against one another.

People call you the ‘funny one’

Siblings have so many of their own qualities that aren’t defined or shared by any brothers or sisters. You may find yourself to be “the funny one”, your sister may be “the intelligent one”, the other sister is the self-proclaimed “hot one” – and then there’s always a brother to fill in “the annoying one”. These categorisations seem to be the way people remember us versus our brothers or sisters – because apparently a name is just too much to ask.

People mistake you for them and get disappointed when they realise the truth

Being confused for a sibling can be a really great compliment, or the biggest insult since you found out your mum was having another baby – as if you alone weren’t sacred enough. Looking the same is great for making use of their ID before you turn 18, but it also entails the traumatic experience being asked “so how’s the big shot job going?” and you have to respond with “no that’s the other one of mum’s offspring”, while you sit and trawl through the Netflix boxsets you’ve already accomplished and begin to regret some life choices.

People think you’re copying her when you borrow her clothes

At family gatherings you often hear the ‘ooh haven’t you grown since last we met.’ Yes I have grown since I was 8, funny that isn’t it. This comment may be followed by the ever-frequent ‘you’ve even started to dress just like your sister too haven’t you’, to which you avoid pointing out that you are actually wearing your latest finds from a little boutique you like to call ‘Her Wardrobe’. I guess maybe wearing each other’s clothes doesn’t help you to avoid the comparisons.

Did you pass first time as well?

If you are a younger sibling taking your test after an older sibling has already passed you will face the constant comparison that it took your brother just one attempt – so why are you now on attempt number 4? But I bet the comparison critics never thought that by taking longer to pass you are merely becoming a safer and more responsible driver…or just that you can’t afford to buy anything above a Fiat Punto yet.

When she’s single it’s fine but when you are, family get ‘concerned about you’

One of the worst ways to be compared to a sibling is being asked why you haven’t settled down yet, based on the premise that your sister had already begun dating their now spouse when they were your age. Well do they get to devour a tub of Ben & Jerry’s on their own? No? Well who’s the real winner here? Once again, the sibling relation strikes again by fooling people into believing even your love lives are parallel – but all you need to do is remind those who are so invested in your love life that cupid hasn’t forgotten you, he’s merely saving the best till last.

 

You’re always made to compete with them

If your siblings have talents such as cooking or playing sport (or anything that really involves any skill or effort in general) you are blinded in thinking you won’t be compared in competition. Family parties soon turn into your very own Great British Bake Off as you stare at your parents whilst they go round the dishes you and your siblings made prior, searching for any sign of judgement that gives you an inkling as to who’s going to be crowned the Star Baker. If you and your sibling both excel in sport then you may find yourself getting oddly competitive because for some unbeknown reason you must win that comparison.

Let’s not be defined by other people’s comparisons – we are more than just similar clothing or the same nose. Just because we are not an only child doesn’t mean we can’t make our own choices, siblings are there for support when you’re down, a chat when you’re bored and most importantly for mockery when you realise how much shit you can use against them.