.jpeg)
5 Ways to Share a Fun Holiday with Your Siblings | National Siblings Day - April 10, 2025
- MG Lorraine
- Apr 10
- 3 min read
Updated: Sep 18
Siblings! No matter whether you are an only child and wanted siblings or you have siblings that you occasionally wish you didn’t; they are a fascinating dynamic and complex world. I have an entire clan of siblings; most of them by birth with the same parents and some I consider bonus siblings as they have become chosen family. Meaning, these siblings joined our family by love, over time or circumstance, and they have blended into the place that we forget they aren’t actually siblings by blood or birth order. No matter the association, they are all precious, loving, timeless, exasperating, frustrating and ... irreplaceable.
In childhood, my immediate siblings and I were given much the same opportunities, but in adulthood, we have all chose different paths. While we are all well educated and have great families, we have chosen very different places to live, occupations, friend circles and hobbies. However, we are as similar as we are different. We love people. We are very outgoing in our chosen activities and we all have families. But when we are together - which can never be often enough, as we literally live nearly all over the world -it’s like a day has not passed since we were apart. We immediately return to our sibling-ness of laughing, loving, ...arguing.
Our mom believed that our birth order helped shape us - as a group and our individual personalities. She read extensively on the family dynamics of birth order. "The Birth Order Factor” by Lucille Forer Ph. D. was added to her bookshelf in 1976 when it was first published. This author and collaborator shared the theory or belief that the family position influenced a child's personality and development enough that it would determine to a "considerable extent ways of relating to his children." (source) Over the years, mom added multiple other books on birth order; it gave her a deeper insight into the nature of our group as a whole. Even now, after the loss of both parents, we have automatically assigned task and assumptions to each of us that have survived.
Siblings are a part of you - your core memories, who you are now and how you relate to the world. You are forced by your survival to have the ability to speak or communicate early, to not only advocate for yourself and your opinions, but to make a solid case for your preferences and persuade others to your side.
Siblings offer added benefits, too, like learning to share chores, being a good roommate, and how to be part of a team. You also learn that the world doesn’t revolve around you. Sometimes you don’t get what you want AND it’s OK. Being a sibling brings challenges and rewards, and these will change throughout your life as you evolve and your relationship skills grow. The real blessing is having an amazing group of people that you love. I can’t imagine my life without any one of them.
Take a moment today to reach out to your siblings and share a special moment. Here are 5 simple ways to celebrate them:
Call them - a simple phone call just to check in is always a great idea.
FaceTime or Zoom while doing something you both enjoy, so you can laugh together.
Take them to dinner or send a gift card to their favorite place.
Send them a card. Doesn't have to say much, just something to say I'm thinking of you!
Buy them a T-shirt to share in the fun of the day together!
#TeamMG Recommends These Favorite Items from Amazon...
Besides, you won't be doing this alone. In the United States alone, "89% of Americans have a sibling." (Source) And according to the Smart Phone Model “sibling day is the most popular celebration day in the world"! Love them or not... find a way to celebrate with your siblings today for #NationalSiblingsDay!
Until next time,
Comments