5 Sacrifices I Learned to Make For My Younger Sister

We older siblings are expected to take care of the younger ones (bunso): give them our toys, share our favorite food, get a job and send them to school. It’s a rule that fosters hate and resentment. This is why the media portrays older siblings as angry, dissatisfied bitches who can’t stand the sight of a happy, younger sis.

I have a secret: I like spending time with my sister, Calee. It’s sometimes tiring and time-consuming but no sacrifice is without benefits. You just have to know what to sacrifice and what you can get in return.

Here are some of the things I enjoy doing for my sister that you can graciously do for your dear bunso too.

1. I pretend to enjoy eating weird things like natto and kimchi.

Natto: fermented beans in a slimy sauce that makes it easier to spit out than to swallow. (My apologies to natto fans out there.)

Younger sisters will always look up to you and trust your choices.

So when I eat something disgusting, I chew with a smile on my face and say “Wow, ang sarap! Try mo!” and eventually Calee will bite. The look on her face when she realizes she’s been duped (for the hundredth time), the gagging sounds, and the laughs are worth a hundred stomachaches!

(Warning: remember to dodge. Especially if your sister spits accurately.)

2. I make friends with her teachers.

Sometimes I look at my quiet sister and see that she is bored with her life. So I add excitement to it by pretending to talk to her professor and saying stuff like: “Calee has a crush on ______.”

This won’t work unless she genuinely thinks that I’m friends with her professors… which is slightly difficult because those were my professors too. Do you realize how scary it is to approach someone who almost failed you or sat in on your thesis defense and reduced you to a blubbering mess?

But I do it so Calee may live an exciting life, always on her toes, not knowing if the teacher is going to blurt out her crush in class or not.

3. I protect her from creepy-crawly insects (and teach her lessons in life, too).

One scream from Calee and I’m there with a slipper or rolled-up newspaper, ready to kill the cockroach and giant spider that’s causing her distress.

Common household roaches. I kill from (A) to (E).

Then I pick up the remains and wave it in front of her face or place it near her bed to remind her of the hundreds of insects who died to make her feel safe and teach her the value of life. My hysterical laugh at her facial expression is just a bonus.

4. Even if I’m busy, I find time to finish whatever she is reading.

My sister is a slow-reader. It saddens me to think that she won’t get to enjoy all the other books out there so I borrow what she’s currently reading and finish it for her. This way I can save her time by giving the condensed versions: “Dumbledore dies in book six.” or “Milligan is Katie’s father.”

Right now, she looks mighty pissed and annoyed but I know she will thank me one day for saving her hours of reading time.

"...and then Dumbledore dies, because Harry is a lazy kid who hates washing dishes."

5. I play fun games even if I’m tired.

My favorite game to play with Calee (aside from I’ll-tell-mom-where-you-went-last-weekend-if-you-don’t-wash-the-dishes) is AAAH! WHERE THE HELL IS IT?! This is a fun game best played before bedtime.

How to play AAAH! WHERE THE HELL IS IT?!

1. Wait for your sister to go to bed and watch her for signs of sleepiness (i.e. drooping eyes, even breathing).
2. Jump up and shriek: “AAAAAH! Pakshet may ipis!”
3. Run around the room, avoiding her and the imaginary ipis behind her.
4. Answer all panicked questions of “Nasan? NASAN?!” with more shrieking and pointing in her general direction.
5. Repeat 3-4 until you can no longer keep a straight face.

This is a game I try to play as much as I can despite being tired. Someday Calee will be too old for running around and decide to stab me with a knife. When that day comes, I will not regret the laughs and the free exercise.

Have no regrets. Get your lazy ass off that bed today and enjoy this game before your bunso gets too old for it.

Wrapping-up

If you’ve been ignoring your younger brother or sister until now, stop it. They just want to spend time with you and be close to you. Don’t think too much about how to treat them well. Just get in there and start making a racket. Learn to be creative and you’ll find that having a younger sibling is actually so fun, you’ll be wishing for more to come.

What about you? Do you have younger sisters, brothers, or cousins that you’re forced to take care of? Do you enjoy the task or just leave them alone to play computer games?

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