When we think about our family, it can be made up of several people and, naturally, each relationship will be special and unique. There's the relationship between the father and mother, the father's relationship with the children, the mother's relationship with the children and then there's the relationship between brothers or sisters. Well, it's precisely this last relationship that we want to focus on in today's post - the relationship between brothers and/or sisters.
The first thing we think it's important to emphasise is that every relationship is a relationship. It has its own particularities and is made up of various indicators such as the experiences and contexts that each person lives in. These are defining aspects when we think about the relationships that individuals, who are part of a society and interact with various kinds of stimulus on a daily basis, have and create throughout their lives.
A relationship that is given or not given by our family sphere is precisely the relationship with our brothers or sisters. It's something unique, singular and exclusive to siblings. We've already touched on the concept of family here and how important it can be in people's lives, from the moment they are born to the time they follow us throughout our lives.
Well, let's start with the relationship that the older brother or sister has with their younger siblings. What we can see is that the first baby is a unique, completely new experience and parents are trying to understand what this new reality of having a little being dependent on them is like. We don't mean to imply that the experience parents have with their brothers and sisters will be easier or the same (no way), because each one will have their own challenges, experiences and reactions. These characteristics make each of our children's growth and development completely unique and different.
However, here we want to consider that one of the greatest challenges will be to understand how our older children react to the arrival of their younger brothers or sisters. They may find it strange, the first contact may have negative or positive reactions, their first interactions will be few or regular, the jealousy factor will be decisive or not, among many other factors.
In this way, parents will have the challenge of preparing their children for the arrival of a new member of the family, explaining the importance and, above all, reassuring them that their best friend, who has adored them since they were in their mother's belly, will arrive.
As well as it being challenging for parents to understand how this relationship will develop, we believe that for children it may or may not be easy to understand, due to the fact that they are young and don't understand what is going on, the concern and care that will be shared and, above all, the attention that will also be given to their little brother or sister. There are many elements to be managed and the older brothers and sisters will end up having to adapt.
What we really want to emphasise is that moment when they adapt to this new reality and what the relationship between brothers and sisters will be like after that. Let's say that there are various ways of explaining this relationship. Normally, we consider there to be a relationship of protection, more or less explicit, on the part of the older brother/sister towards the younger one. Younger siblings sometimes ask their older sibling for help with a task, to understand information they haven't understood or to help them do something they can't manage on their own. These aspects lead us to think that this relationship is built on mutual help, companionship and a great deal of complicity.
On the other hand, one point to highlight is the fact that we're addressing the difference between sisters and brothers. What is the difference? Is there any difference? First of all, regardless of whether it's a boy or a girl, the relationship between siblings is extremely versatile and will always depend on their personalities and contexts. In the first instance, what we can consider to be common is the sense of protection that is generally frequent and normal because we are talking about our younger brothers and sisters. What we think could be a difference here is the sharing of their development and growth as boys and girls. Whether it's some natural transformation of their bodies or even, let's say, topics that are shared between boys and girls. It's part of it and it's fun to realise that this sharing takes place, not only because they are the same sex, but also because they may have experiences that they like to share and that they may have gone through.
The word sharing is also fundamental in this relationship between siblings. There may be some misunderstandings, tantrums or even crying because the older or younger brother doesn't share his toy with his sister. This process of recognising and sharing is part of it, and when it finally happens, it's a relief and something very sweet to watch.
The creation and development of this relationship is part of the building of our family. They are special relationships. We consider them to be our best friends, with whom we grow up and have our adventures, especially our older brother or sister, because they are the people, apart from our parents, who have been with us since day 1. The younger brothers/sisters will always be the eternal little ones who go along with their siblings in everything.
At Wedoble, we think that having brothers and sisters is something really special. We're very happy when we see families grow. What's more, we've already had several experiences with brothers and sisters taking part in our campaigns and it's delightful to be able to witness the sharing and affection they feel for each other, as well as the many games they play together.
While we're on the subject of siblings, throughout our collections we want to give you alternatives for sets of themes that can be worn by both boys and girls. In this case, here are a few ideas for outfits that brothers and sisters can use so that they always match. What do you think?
It's certainly a topic we want to return to, to better understand how beneficial it can be for children. Siblings are siblings and they are unique.
What about you? How do you see your relationship with your brothers and sisters? What's your little ones' relationship like at home? How did the older brother/sister react to the arrival of the baby? Are they the best of friends today? We want to know your experience. We want to know your opinion.
