April 10th was National Sibling Day. I did not even know such a thing existed until I heard from Chick Fil A, Wheaton that they were having a special wherein they were giving away free chocolate chip cookie to anyone who stopped in with a sibling on April 10th – what a deal, eh? Well, the benefits of having a sibling do not stop there.
I was recently in conversation with a co-worker from China. He has been here in the US for about 21 years now. Someone asked him about the 1-child culture in China which he was a part of. He started talking about how the 1-child generation is all grown up and basically everyone in China who is 34 years or below is without a sibling. I was extremely intrigued by this. Being a part of a 3-child household and having always shared had a very close relationship with my two younger brothers, I could not imagine a nation full of people who had no siblings.
I came home and googled the effects of such a drastic policy on a complete generation. I was shocked by what I read. Far from being the success that it is touted to b, a study done on this 1-child generation revealed that being sibling-less, the children grew up to more distrustful, were less of risk takers, and faced a slew of other issues.
Professor Lisa Cameron, of the Monash Center for Development Economics, says effects were observed even if single children had significant contact with social peers.
“We found that greater exposure to other children in childhood—for example, frequent interactions with cousins and/or attending childcare—was not a substitute for having siblings,” Cameron says.
That's mind blowing. The fact that cousins, friends and other social peers cannot be substitutes for siblings. As a child, my only constant companions have been my siblings. My dad's job was such that we moved a lot from one place to another and as such we were never at one place enough to make good friends. Also, we were away from extended family. But that never mattered much to us. We were the best of friends. We loved each other to distraction and still do. We had so much fun amongst ourselves that we still remember those days as the best days of our lives.
Life has taken us on different courses and different paths. But to this day we retain the closeness we once shared and I know I can count on my brothers no matter what kind of situation I am in or they are in. I know one phone call and we are once away chatting away and giggling like the best of friends we always are.
We have shared a lifetime with each other. We used to explore together and hike all the forests, hills, streams in the vicinity of one remote area after another that dad used to be posted at. He worked for the Forest Department and as such we were privy to a lot of things and to this day remain loyal to nature, animals, and each other.
I firmly believe that the person I am today has much to do with my growing up together with my brothers. I learned so many things from them about myself that I might never have had I not had any siblings. Being with them, around them has taught me to be more perceptive to other people's needs. A very close friend of mine, whose sister unfortunately passed away a while ago told me that it was the most difficult thing to deal with because it was like a person who knew you for the longest, grew up with you and knew you inside out, wasn't there anymore and there is no one else quite like that. Not your parents, your spouse or your children.
I admit that having siblings is not just honey and roses all the time. I have seen instances where there has been such extreme sibling rivalry and jealousy that it has had negative effects on the individuals involved. Effects that are very damaging and irreversible. But I firmly believe that these are few and far between and even if you've had a bad experience with a sibling, even that could be looked upon as a learning experience.
At least for me having a sibling is a must-have and I would love to hear your opinions on this issue as also any incidents that you might recall crystal clear to this day involving your brother or sister. Would love to hear them...
