How did your childhood differ to your siblings?

[Spinneret]

I would say they were good at school I wasn't

 

[WDWEPCOT]

Let’s just say my father had a favorite child who could do no wrong - I have one sibling I’m not said child - otherwise we were same in school - both got very good grades - everything else a bit skewed thanks to father and his games - in the end hurt my sibling more as sibling can’t handle life - feels they are special above everyone and since they are not treated that way they are mean - really sad if you think about it - but I don’t as they have been way too mean to me so I cut ties with said sibling decades ago and have no regrets
For full disclosure - gave several tries and did years of counseling - came down to better off with or without them - without was only healthy choice as sibling stated sibling didn’t have any problems - again it’s sad - sibling doesn’t have any friends either - hmmm

 

[MamaBelle4]

I'm the youngest of 5.

My family was homeless for a period, but I was very little and it didn't impact me as much as my older siblings. One Easter when there was no money, they found all the change they could and made sure I still had candy Easter morning.

We moved into the house my parents lived in for 27 years when I was 6. Before that, we had moved from place to place, never staying more than 2 years.

I had a stable childhood and a lot of that is because of the sacrifices my siblings made. Older siblings took me shopping for clothes and shoes when our parents didn't have the money. Our childhoods were very different and it's because of the wonderful people they are.

 

[Alicefan]

My sister could do no wrong and I was the bad child. Still holds true today. No matter how often I call to check on my dad or offer to take him to doctor's appointments etc...while my sister hasn't darkened his door for anything other than collecting her Christmas gifts nor picked up a phone to call and just talk to him in YEARS, she is still the favored one. I can't wait to inform her that SHE can let him move in with her when that day comes. I refuse to be that person.

 

[holden]

I lived in Philadelphia for the first ten years of my life. I walked to school starting in first grade.

My sibling is six years younger than me. The age difference meant we didn't really do much together. We traveled in completely different circles.

 

[ronandannette]

Different in every possible way. They were from an entirely different generation. They were respectively 26, 20 and 17 years older than me. Their father died when they were children and they spent a period of time being raised by our mother alone, until my father came along. They went to boarding school for high-school and I didn't. They had a different set of grandparents and cousins (on their dad's side) than I did. That's just the tip of the iceberg...too many other distinctions to list.

 

[goofyernmost]

I was an only child for eight years. It was delightful. I was the center of attention. All family members bought me toys and semi-worshiped me. Good times! Don't get me wrong, my sister is great, but she stole all my thunder.

 

[BlueStarryHat]

Our childhood didn't differ; my sister and I went through the same experiences and it bonded us closely together. The only thing I can think of is that she's very outgoing and I'm an introvert. She always had lots of friends and I was always in my room reading or drawing. We shared a bedroom until we were teenagers. Every night we'd talk, play a game or whatever. We used to stash snacks in our room for our game sessions.

 

[tvguy]

My dad was 24 when my half brother was born. He and my half brother's mom divorced when my half brother was about 5. Dad was 46 when I was born. He was better prepared to be a parent with me, but sadly passed away just before I turned 10.

As for the world situation, there was a draft when my brother turned 18, although he chose to enlist. The draft ended a year before I turned 18.
However we both dealt with the cold war.

 

[georgina]

I'm the youngest of 6. Oldest sister is 13 years older than me. She had A LOT of responsibility helping with the younger kids, and it really interfered with her life. She moved away to college when I was 5, and never lived at home again, not even for summers. Her relationship with my mom was forever strained. By the time I was growing up, parents were much more relaxed with the rules. I could get the car to drive when my friends & I went out on the weekends, fewer restrictions, etc.

 

[Moliphino]

We somehow wound up with slightly different accents despite living in the same town with the same parents and going to the same schools. I say marry/merry/Mary the same, my sister pronounces them differently. She also calls a water fountain a bubbler.

 

[momz]

yes, different. Although my brothers likely didn't notice. I won't bore you with the details. But suffice it to say, there were clear gender differences. My brothers were the pride and joy. I was just along for the ride. It's still that way to this day. Brothers' kids got significantly more and better perks from my folks than my kids did. This favoritism has not gone unnoticed by my kids unfortunately. Our family gatherings consist of having to listen to them all reminisce about the vacations grandma and grandpa took all the older cousins on...my kids never got those vacations. My brothers are a little older than I am so by the time my kids came along, my folks were all wrapped up in the lives of my brothers' kids. They had no interest in mine.

The only thing I can figure is that from the get go, as a girl, I never had the same value as my brothers. They think I'm a joke and I definitely feel that there is a class system within the ranks. I don't know why I continue to participate in family stuff. I guess it's because i love my folks, and i think they love me as much as they can. They just don't show it in the way that I need them to.

 

[footballmouse]

Youngest of 5 with a 5 year age gap between me and my next older sister. All my sisters married right after high school so it was just me, my mom & dad for about 8 years at home. I will admit that I was pretty spoiled. Rules were relaxed but I wasn't a bad kid or ran around on the weekends. I didn't have to get a job in high school until I wanted to, the others did. I didn't have to pay for anything to use my mom's car (gas or insurance). I went to a private girls only high school, the others went to a public high school. I had it pretty easy.

 

[luvnwdwgal]

I have a brother who is 9 years older who thought it was funny to torment me every chance he got. Our sister was 4 years younger than me and he never bothered her. Probably because she was just too young. He was just rotten to me. I had anxiety issues, glasses, braces, allergies, no self esteem at all. My sister was basically the opposite.

 

[disykat]

You'd think our childhoods were exactly the same with the 3 of us born in 3 years. Much was the same, but surprisingly the 3 of us have very different takes on many parts of our upbringing.

 

[Boopuff]

My bro and I are two different people. Born 2 yrs apart (I'm oldest) I was into art, reading, had a few close friends. Bro was all sports all the time, lots of friends. Even though we were 2 years apart, we were 3 years in school due to our birthdays. I was thankful for that. I never ran into him at school. We didn't get along forever, now as orphan adults, we're pals.

 

[georgina]

yes, different. Although my brothers likely didn't notice. I won't bore you with the details. But suffice it to say, there were clear gender differences. My brothers were the pride and joy. I was just along for the ride. It's still that way to this day. Brothers' kids got significantly more and better perks from my folks than my kids did. This favoritism has not gone unnoticed by my kids unfortunately. Our family gatherings consist of having to listen to them all reminisce about the vacations grandma and grandpa took all the older cousins on...my kids never got those vacations. My brothers are a little older than I am so by the time my kids came along, my folks were all wrapped up in the lives of my brothers' kids. They had no interest in mine.

The only thing I can figure is that from the get go, as a girl, I never had the same value as my brothers. They think I'm a joke and I definitely feel that there is a class system within the ranks. I don't know why I continue to participate in family stuff. I guess it's because i love my folks, and i think they love me as much as they can. They just don't show it in the way that I need them to.

Sad for you and your children. I wonder if it is somewhat cultural? I know with my mom's siblings, all immigrants, it was often this way among their children. My 5 siblings are all female, so we did not encounter this, in fact it was liberating, we mowed the lawn, etc, all the things often relegated to boys. My kids are a lot younger than most of their cousins on both sides and did not get as much time with their grandparents while they were younger and healthier.