My Role as a Big Sister
by Rebecca (16)


To me a big sister plays a considerable role in a family. They do chores, school etc…. like everyone else, but just doing those simple little things is not adequate. As an older sister we have responsibilities that can’t be ignored. What I believe my duties as a big sister are to be a good example to my younger brothers and sister, assist when asked for help, and to be kind, cheerful, and devoted to them.

Small ears and eyes are always watching and listening. It is up to us to make sure that what they are seeing and hearing from us is only good. If we make a mistake it may affect their lives and how they live them. For instance, let’s say our mom/dad gives us an assignment. We do it, we do it well, but we whine about the job or grumble as we go. The little ears and eyes are at work. They see and hear us protest, grumble and whine. They see us do it often. Before we know it they are doing it too. Their behavior is now a result of our actions. Certainly we didn’t mean for them to learn this, however the point is if we had simply replied: “Yes Ma’am/Sir.”, there would have been less of a chance of their learning to be rebellious. We are not responsible for their sins, but we have an opportunity as a big sister to be a help or a hindrance as our parents train up our younger siblings.

“Sissy how do I do this page.” “Sissy can you button me?” “Sissy can I have a drink.” Boy, those can be some very annoying things to hear at times. Often we grumble, we tell them we’re busy, we pretend not to hear, or some other excuse. Is that the proper and loving way to respond? No! Rather we should love and cherish those moments for as we help them we are bonding together. Cheerfully helping our younger brothers/sisters with their problems, I believe, is one of the many definitions of love. It shows that we care enough about them to stop what we’re doing and see if we can make things right for them.

Most of what I just listed falls under a special verse in the Bible. Leviticus 19:18 You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD. NKJV That means we are to treat others, as we would want to be treated. So that means we should be kind and loving to the youngsters. If we do that, they might treat us the same way. And more importantly they will learn to treat those around them with kindness and respect.