Built-in best friend, occasionally infuriating and a forever therapist

You and your sibling, just goofing around, loving each other, but also occasionally wanting to kill each other

Having a sibling in life is closely linked to becoming a better person. No one else will call you out on your bad behaviour the way a sibling does. Your partners might be wary of your reaction, friendships may lack that kind of openness and informality (learnt it the hard way, very recently!), and parents might either overlook or overtly criticise. But a sibling’s clout is unmatched. You have grown up together, fist-fighting your way through conflicts, stealing each other’s favourite possessions and TV remote, getting them in trouble, and witnessing their most embarrassing childhood goof-ups. I think siblings are necessary for character development.

They taught you your earliest lessons in negotiation and partnership (I won’t tell your secret if you promise to keep mine). There were glimmers of love, too. There were times when you protected each other from your parents’ wrath, if only in the hopes that they would return the favour. Even at an early age, you knew who your true ally was. As they say, parents leave you too soon, and spouses come in too late, but your siblings are there for the whole ride.

And if you happen to have an older sibling who also assumes the role of a parent, their impact is significant. I am the younger of the two, so having an older sibling meant that I had a portal to six years in the future. I always drew parallels from her life. It changed when I turned 29 because she was married by that age, while I was struggling with commitment-phobic prospects left, right and centre. In a way, it freed me up from finding my significant other within a fixed timeframe.

She taught me to read and write, explained fractions and integers, explained the laws of physics and appreciate literature. I was an ace student because of her. There’s a running joke in the family that she did not do a good job at explaining geography and the unitary method– If 5 men do a job in 2 hours, how much time would 10 men take? What’s the sea level of Bhutan? AS IF I CARE. OKAY, I DO CARE. I will work on it if I ever have to give yet another aptitude test.

Anyway, the point is that my life would not be nearly as happy as it is right now if it weren't for my sister. Who else would have taken a flight to calm me down when my bosses were being brutal, or given me hugs and hot chocolate fudge when my dating life imploded, or drilled some sense into me when I was being a brat, and been my free therapist, career coach and hype (wo)man who is available 24*7?

However hard you try, you can not create or emulate this kind of dynamic with a friend. Got any funny or unforgettable memories with your siblings?