Become a Better Brother or Sister

Edited by Emmanuel M. Lardizabal, Eng, Laurel Waddell, naazia and 9 others

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In a family that consists of a father and mother, and several children, the youngest children will be often be referred to as younger brothers or sisters and the older children as older brothers or sisters. In most homes the oldest sibling has the most responsibility. This child probably has more understanding and has learned more skills than the younger children in the family. For this reason, the oldest child may be given the responsibility of taking care of his or her younger siblings. This very often makes the oldest of the siblings responsible for the actions and behavior of his or her younger brothers or sisters. Because of the responsibility that has been assigned to the oldest child it would be in his or her best interest to be the best sibling he or she can be. An older child should always strive to become a good example for his younger siblings.

Being a good brother or a sister will most likely bring about a close relationship, strengthening the bonds between each of the children. As he or she continues to care for the younger siblings, the parents of the oldest child will begin to recognize these efforts. It will make a good impression on the parents and other members of the family. The actions of a good older sibling will also bring about solid communication and interaction within the family, and everyone in the family will draw closer to each other throughout the years. Becoming a sibling that tries to be available to his younger family members will also give him or her the opportunity to help his or her siblings in times of need.

Perhaps you are an older sibling looking for ways to become a better brother or sister.

How to become a good big brother or a big sister

There are many ways for a big brother or a big sister to express how much he or she values the siblings in the family. Here are some helpful steps to becoming a good big brother or a good big sister.

  1. 1
    You should be a helpful big brother or sister to your siblings
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    As a big brother or a sister, you should help your siblings with homework and other activities. Whenever your siblings need help, you should always be there to lend a helping hand without asking for anything in return. As a big brother or big sister, you should be responsible enough to take of care of your younger sibling whether at home or away from home, which will give your parents confidence in you, and allow your younger siblings go with you when you leave the house. You will also make a good impression on your parents when they see you helping your younger brothers or sisters. You will gain greater trust from them.
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  2. 2
    You should be a supportive big brother or sister to your siblings
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    Show support to your younger siblings by attending their school activities, school festivals, sport events, meetings etc. They should know you are there, cheering them on and feeling empowered by your encouragement. You should also show support to your siblings by helping them make hard decisions, and helping them to deal with everyday problems. You should guide your sibling in making decisions by setting a good example and gently steering them in the right direction. Nagging them and reminding them of past mistakes is not empowering, and will be met with resistance. Show them you care. Be supportive. Affirm their good deeds, ideas and accomplishments.
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  3. 3
    As a big brother or big sister, you will probably be asked to babysit them
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    This may include watching them while they are playing in other places - always keeping an eye out for them and making sure they are safe. You are there to find out why they are crying, and to laugh with them when they have happy experiences. While you are babysitting, you can guide your siblings in what they are doing, and to be there to assists them. When you have a toddler, you can baby sit them by assisting them in eating meals and be being available to play with him or her. You can also provide your sibling with toys to play with, sometimes out of the little one's reach.
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  4. 4
    You should be a role model
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    As a big brother or a big sister, you should display good character traits to your younger siblings. Because of their positive upbringing, thanks in part to you, they will be good people when they grow up. Children who grow up in a good, loving family, will most likely be a good adult, raising a loving family of his or her own. You should also be a role model to your younger siblings by educating them about right and wrong. It is important for young people to understand there are consequences for bad behavior. They may lose friends if they are unkind, or gain enemies if the don't treat people they way the should be treated. Counsel them that there are rewards for doing the right thing, and they need to consider every action before doing it. Show a positive attitude in front of your siblings, and hopefully they will adopt this attitude as their own as they grow up. You also need to maintain a good appearance in their presence.
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  5. 5
    Hangout with your siblings
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    Gather your siblings for some bonding time. You can also organize team building for your family in order to create good communication and interactions with each other. You can hang out with your sibling by going to their favorite places, and by telling them your life stories. You can share your experiences with your siblings while you are hanging out with them. Tell your siblings how important it is for the family to spend time together. While hanging out with them, you could also play with them. You can play their favorite indoor and outdoor games. Games are a great way to bond with your siblings.
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  6. 6
    You need to apologize for any wrong doings you have done to your younger siblings, and ask for forgiveness
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    This will teach them to do the same. There's a good chance you teased them, or played jokes on them when you were younger, and admitting it will make everyone feel better. You should behave with integrity and not be prideful when you have done something wrong to your sibling. Even if you know you are not the one who committed mistake, you should humble yourself in order maintain a good relationship with your younger brother or sister.
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How to be a Good Little Brother or Sister.

  1. 1
    You need to respect your elders
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    As a younger sibling, you need to respect your older siblings. This will help you maintain a good relationship with them. You will also create good feelings between you and your older siblings. You may end up getting attention, perhaps becoming their favorite younger brother or sister. When you talk to them, you need to respect them and talk to them in calm way. Try not to behave in a way that will make them angry. You also need to answer questions properly and promptly without being insulting. If you don't answer a question politely, your elder sibling might have cause to be angry with you. Remember, they have more experience and knowledge than you. You also need to listen to their advice. It will be helpful for you, especially while you are in the process of growing up, and also in the future. You need to listen to them, not just because they have more experience, but because they have had the opportunity to learn from their mistakes. This makes it possible for you to learn from their mistakes as well, by avoiding them yourself.
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  2. 2
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    You need to humble yourself with your older siblings
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    Be humble because they are more knowledgeable than you and they have more experiences in life than you. If you are humble you will have a good relationship with your older sibling. Being prideful, stubborn and unwilling to listen can create misunderstandings between you and your older sibling and it destructive to your relationship. Arguments with your siblings affect the entire family in a negative way. A family should be united and free from disputes. All of you should understand each other in order to have good relationships and effective communication. If you have misunderstandings with your elder siblings, after you work things out calmly, you should be willing to say you are sorry. You need to humble yourself and remember you are younger than they are. When you humble yourself to your elder siblings, conflicts will arise a lot less often.
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  3. 3
    Don't be selfish with your siblings
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    You should share what you have with your siblings. You should be generous with them so that in return, they will be generous with you. If you are selfish with them then they might be selfish with you in the future. Share food with them, when you have plenty of it. If you have something, you can always divide it to share it with your siblings. You can also lend them things they need. You are family, and you need to share whatever you have with them, which is what people do when they love other people.
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  4. 4
    You should not be jealous of elders or brag that you are the favorite child
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    As one of the younger children, you may be considered the apple of your parent's eye. All your siblings should feel as if they receive equal treatment by your parents. Don't try to make anyone else jealous of you.
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  5. 5
    You should not interrupt when adults are talking
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    You should not invade the privacy of elders, but give them space when they are in the middle of things that do not involve children. It shows a lack of respect when you interfere in their adult communications. As a younger sibling, you should respect your elders and you should not eavesdrop if the conversation is personal. Find something to do when your older sibling is busy talking to another.
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  6. 6
    You can also support your older brothers and sister in decision-making
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    You may support them in making decisions by suggesting ideas that may be helpful for them. You can also support your older brother or sister by helping them with household chores. When they asking for help, don't complain, just help. When cleaning, you may work along side of them as their helper. Never forget that your older siblings always have more responsibilities than you, and they are expected to be more adult than they actually are, usually to help out the younger siblings...you.
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  7. 7
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    You need to love each other
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    You are all apart of one family where you need to share love with one another and avoid conflict. If you have misunderstandings with your elder siblings, you need to solve them before the day comes to an end. If you have problems with them then you should talk to them. If you have done something wrong then you should apologize to them. If they are doing something that bothers you, talk to them, calmly, but whatever is going on, solve it before the day is over. You should never go to bed angry.
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Be the very best sibling you can be!

Questions and Answers

What are the responsibilities being a brother or sister?

Please give the duties and responsibilities being a brother or sister.

The specific duties and responsibilities of being a brother or a sister depend on whether you are talking about elder siblings or younger siblings. Older brothers and sisters can act as role models for their younger family members. Younger children love looking up to their bigger brothers and sisters because they're easily accessible, and oftentimes the younger siblings will see their older siblings as cool and they'll want to follow in their footsteps. It's important to remember this as an older sibling; your younger sibling will take after you and do the things you do, so you need to be responsible around them so that they can grow up doing the right things based on what you do and say around them. Older siblings should also always be supportive and offer help to their younger siblings when they need it most, like with homework, school problems, relationship advice, and any other issues their older brothers and sisters have experience with.

Younger siblings, on the other hand, need to respect their older siblings. Siblings always fight, but respecting your older siblings when they try to help you, give you advice, or lead you in the right direction will help you get along much better. Younger siblings may also torment their older siblings by making fun of whatever is going on in their lives; like an elementary school sibling making fun of their high school sibling's relationships because they don't understand. It's important to remember there is an age difference between you and your older siblings, and there are things that they understand that you don't. Be kind.

Getting along with your siblings, whether they're older or younger than you, requires some effort. Just make sure you follow the instructions given in this answer, and in the great VisiHow article above, to make sure the relationships you have with all your brothers and sisters are good ones.

How can I make myself an amazing older sister?

I'm usually always arguing because I have 9 siblings. My mom says I have to be a better older sister. I never knew how to approach. I have tried: I have tried really hard, but its always back to the same thing. I think it was caused by: I don't honestly know. It could be stress, or the divorce between my parents, or just my everyday life.

It is easy for a sibling to take out their frustration on other siblings. Unfortunately you are dealing with your parents divorce and as the older sibling you feel new responsibilities in the changed dynamics of a one-parent household. Instead of being the carefree and fun older sibling, you over-complicate small issues as a disciplinarian. Plan fun activities for you and your younger siblings. It may be something you are not completely interested in, but as you see the joy on your sibling's faces you will feel better. You all need to learn a new way of life now. Don't take any responsibility for your parents' divorce. Give yourself some alone time, as this entire situation rests heavily on the eldest.

I want to get a Macbook but my siblings don't think I'm mature/responsible enough. I want to get closer to them so I can get a Macbook and I really need it.

I want to get a Macbook but my siblings don't think I'm mature/responsible enough. I want to get closer to them so I can get a Macbook and I really need it.

Instead of pestering your older siblings, start showing them that you can handle more responsibility around the house. You may want to try asking for a less expensive tablet or laptop first.

I need help with my personal narrative essay?

I'm not sure if my personal narrative essay is good enough to submit and if contains any grammar mistakes or anything. I have tried: I started my essay

Outline Academic Essay and Write a Proposal for a Dissertation are two VisiHow articles with information on forming a perfect essay. If you are concerned about your grammar, you can use Grammarly or Ginger to snoop for mistakes and they even give suggestions for correcting your grammar mistakes.

How to be a good big brother in front of my parents.

I am the one and only boy in my family and I am the eldest child, the rest are my small sisters. My sisters don't like me. I want to become a responsible child in front of my parents and my siblings. How can I become that, if any problem happens in their day they first go and share with my mom, not me. They should come to me first, so that I can solve their problem. Please help! I want to make my parents happy!

Approach your younger siblings first when they get home from school for instance. Ask how their day was. When they are playing outside, go out and casually see how they are doing and if they want anything to drink or a snack. You need to show to them that you are someone that can provide emotional support and this will be a good way to start.

My parents and brothers think I want more and more from others, but I am not like that. How do I show them practically? Help!

My parents and brothers think I want more and more from others but, I am not like that. How do I show them practically and make them feel good? Help!

You must be the one who vocalizes your needs the loudest in the family. Though you are not more needy than any other sibling, your needs get heard above the others. There is nothing wrong with being the most vocal. Try to problem solve the smaller issues on your own. Do not ask for items that are not necessary for daily survival for awhile. Wait for Christmas or your birthday to request recreational items.

How to be a better big sister to my little brother.

I just want to know how to be a good big sister to my little brother because he said that he hates me, and that I was a terrible big sister. We argue a lot and I feel like it's all my fault. I have tried: Just VisiHow. I think it was caused by: A close family friend died.

You both have suffered a loss, and that has caused your brother to blow everything out of proportion. He is lashing out at you, which is a normal reaction to grief. Even though you may not have been a bad sister, he feels that way so apologize and validate his feelings. Ask him how you can improve so that you can be the sister that he needs in his life. It's easy for people to hurt the one they love, because they feel certain that person will forgive them the easiest.

There are 7 girls and 1 brother, age from 69 to 80, we have never had a meeting, I hope we will meet for the first time, should we talk about old hurts, or should we just forgive each other and move on?

We never show love like we should, our parents are deceased, I feel we should get much closer than we are. I have tried: Nothing, we do talk on the phone once in a while. I think it was caused by: We never showed real love to each other, our dad was a man who did a lot of yelling and whipping us for bad things children do, mom was silent, never had a lot to say, and now that we are older it is hard for us to show love to each other

Plan a weekend trip. Even if it is a hotel in a central location for all of you. Make it clear that this is a no drama zone and that you want this as a chance for all of you to connect. It is tough to mend past hurts but often when you start fresh you will find out that you have more in common than you realized. Each of you has experienced past trauma as a child that can bond you rather than divide you.

How should boys treat their little sister?

Can you please tell me I am having trouble because I did not respect my sister so now I need to write an essay on it

Brothers are expected to protect their little sisters. This can be tough when your little sister is always touching your stuff or asking you to play with her. It is normal to get annoyed with our younger siblings. The best way to get around this is to offer to spend some of your time with them. Maybe find a game that you all can play together. Show her how to tie her shoes. Find something that you can both connect with and spend time together. All your little sister really wants is your attention.

How boys should respect elders?

I HATE ESSAYS, help

Essays are an excellent way for you to research a topic. Obviously, we should all respect our elders. The reason for this is because they have already experienced what we are currently learning. They also have helped to shape the life that we live in the present. While you may not like what an elder tells you in terms of advice, they have been there and done that. Their advice is of the best intention toward your outcome.

If you have problems with any of the steps in this article, please ask a question for more help, or post in the comments section below.

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Categories : Family

Recent edits by: victor1-2, Nuance, Maria Quinney

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