Siblings or Best Friends

A sibling becomes your most important friend in your teenage years.

And the beautiful bond continues to flourish.

Who do you rush to if you need to con vince mom and dad to let you go for your best friend's slumber party?
Or, when you are out of cash and need to buy must-have shoes that are on sale? Your sibling, of course! And youngsters with siblings are unanimous about treasuring the bond that they share with their brother or sister.

Says student Vibhuti Kanitkar, "My elder brother, Nikhil, and I share a very special relationship.
There's a seven-year gap between us, so we argued a lot in childhood. As we grew up, we became close and began to confide in each other. We tell each other things that we don't feel like discussing with our parents. My brother is working in a different city now, but we make sure to chat on the phone everyday. He makes fun about my boyfriends, but I know it's all in good humour."

A sibling often ends up being a lifeboat in times of crisis. Says student Sumedh Natu, "I went through my share of problems growing up. Just regular stuff that any boy or girl faces in teenage. But having my stepsister around was such a boon. She stood by me through it all and guided me in a way only a sibling can. Saloni is married now. I often joke with my brother-in-law about how he has taken her off my hands. But she lives in the same city and we meet up often. And we are as close as ever."

Adds Vibhuti, "I will always remember when I was in school, I spent an entire night bawling because I had made a mess of an assignment. My brother swooped in and made me feel better by saying that things were not as bad as I imagined them to be.
He had been through this, and knew how to walk me through it. He sat with me the whole time, pacifying me, and it worked wonders."

Student Swati Piparsania is someone who shifted base so that she could study in the same city as her sister.
"Our parents are based in Bhilai. When my sister got admission in a college in Bengaluru, I knew I had to move along with her.
We cannot live without each other. We tell each other everything, be it boyfriends, crushes or the day's goings-on. She is my most favourite person in the world and I can do anything for her," Swati smiles.

Experts too opine, that having a sibling is advantageous. "Having a sibling teaches people to share. It goes on to become the foundation of sharing, in their teenage years. Not just with material things, but with emo tions too. As children, they may fight. But once they grow up, they find themselves understand ing each other better. Siblings feel more comfortable sharing details about their life with each other, than with their parents.

They are always there for each other," says psychologist Jagruti Sarnath.

So cherish the wonderful bond that you share with your sibling. Not everyone is as lucky!