I would say my relationship with my siblings has had the biggest positive impact on me.

I know they have my back. Even when we sometimes bicker, we’ve always been there for each other, at least since we became adults

That didn’t just happen though, we had to work for it.

I used to pick on them a lot (I’m the oldest) and they’d scratch and bite me and say mean stuff.

At some point, mostly because of my faith in Jesus, I decided to change that and while it took several years to fully grow out to fit, we became really close.

We’ve had to be close since both our parents have had issues really being there for us emotionally.

Sometimes I kind of feel like the mom to them, and other times it seems like they’re supporting me.

I know that no relationship is perfect, even with siblings, but, I really think I probably couldn’t find many people who have a better bond with theirs than I do.

We’ve never had a lot of close friends so I think that’s why we’ve stuck together. Though we have friends now, it’s just not the same as someone you live with who can be there for you every day.

Sure, sometimes they still get on my nerves, but I’ve learned to let a lot of the small stuff go overtime because it doesn’t really matter that much. A life skill that I think will help me whenever I do have my own family.

–Natasha