Brothers Make You Tough

[Shorty]

I'm overhearing a conversation about siblings right now. The two people involved are discussing girls and how having brothers made them "tougher" and "just different". As this conversation went on, these two seemed to imply that girls without brothers were "wimpy" in some way because they didn't have brothers to beat the hell out of them.

So, guys and gals, what do you think of this theory? It can apply to boys as well who maybe only had sisters growing up. I found it ridiculous, because having three younger sisters growing up seemed worse than having brothers.

Alternative topic: what is your role as either a sibling or an only child in your family? If you had brothers and/or sisters, how did they affect the way you grew up?

[escobert]

I was the youngest by like 8 years so I got my butt kicked all day everyday.

[Levian]

My siblings are 8 and 11 years older than me, so when I were a kid they were already quite old and were more like parents than actual siblings to me, so I count myself as an only child. I'm not very tough at all! so that's one more to support the theory of the people you're listening in on.

That said, even if you don't have siblings, you might have many other kids around you that would give you the same treatment as a sibling, so it's definitely not the only factor that plays part in whether you're tough or not.

[Jessweeee♪]

5 Bizarre Ways Your Siblings Made You Who You Are | Cracked.com


I have a brother three years younger than me. He was always competitive about everything because he thought our parents favored me. I think he got this impression because he was always cranky and mischievous while I was quiet and afraid of everything ever, so our parents had to spend more time scolding him than they did me. Because of this I had to wait until both of us were old enough to get new privileges, such as going to a friend's house without my mom, riding the bus home from school, walking home from school, driving, etc.

[Peegee]

Hey Rubahs what was I babbling about that one time about socialization between boys and girls?

(yeah like can I can be any vaguer)

My family has 3 boys. So there's 4 men in the house wrecking everything and playing video games and driving my mom crazy.

Is that what you mean Shorty? My mom's a nagging, loud, yelling psychopath, so I guess so!

[Chloe.]

I have two older brothers and so when growing up I did get 'picked on' by them but I did also join in with their play fighting and stuff like that. I don't think they made me tough but I would say I'm more strong minded then some people, I tend to not let things get to me and bother me too much. Now I have two younger brothers and a younger sister as well and I think for them having three elder siblings it's probably affected them a lot.

[LunarWeaver]

My brother was mean to me for a period, and I was annoying for a period, and then one day all at once we got along and have since then. Now we voluntarily live together more as roommates than siblings and get along very well. It was all very strange. He did not make me tough, though. Not at all. In fact, he usually has to come to my protection more than anything, which is sad at the age of 24. Oh well.

[Masamunemaster]

Im 3 years older than my sister but a year younger than my cousin....so I kinda had someone to help me...but I grew up a little faster than an average kid.....and trust me I toughened my sister up ALOT lol

[Clo]

I have two brothers, and it definitely had an effect on my socializing skills.

[Inferno]

I have an older and a younger sister, my parents are divorced and I lived with my mother. I know all about you women

[boris no no]

I have 2 brothers and a sister, all of which are within 5 years of eachother. Older brother (3 years older) used to pick on us all, so then I picked on my younger brother (1 and a half years younger). My sister was relatively immune. The circle of life ^^

[Raistlin]

My sister is nearly 12 years younger than me, so I grew up as an only child. I'm not sure how you define "tough," but I've always been very independent and strong-willed.

After my sister was 6, I wasn't even around the vast majority of the time due to college, so she really grew up an only child as well. And she is certainly not tough.

[Rodarian]

I have to siblings

Sister elder to me by a year

Brother younger to me by three....


Only a few aspects can apply to me

My sister is smart
My Sisters is still a domineering b!tch at times...
My brother gets more sex than I do

Where do I stand?!

[Fujiko]

I grew up wanting to do everything my elder brother did (he's two years older than me); I'd hang around him and his friends (who were all boys) and I'd want to do boy things. When he played tennis I wanted to, when he signed up for karate practice I wanted to, when he got a BMX I wanted one, when he played football with his friends I wanted to join them etc. I enjoyed playing with boys rather than girls, and I was quite the tomboy even though I liked dolls and nail polish and other girly things. My elder brother and father were the reason I got into sports and games and computers.

I know for a fact that if it weren't for my elder brother and me looking up to him, wanting to be like him, I would've turned out different as I grew up. I would've been much less tomboyish had I not had an elder brother who was your typical boy. He was my best friend until he decided to ditch me for his friends, and exclude me whenever they'd do things he thought were too dangerous for me. And from that point on he'd never want to spend much time with me anymore, and I'd feel pretty lonely.

And BAM, I turned into a real lone wolf.

I'm thankful I had brothers and not just a sister as I grew up; it's a completely different challenge if you have siblings of both sexes rather than one, and you learn so much. I think I'd have felt lonelier though, if I'd grown up without a sister, but in spite of all the difficult times I'm thankful for my brothers.

[Chris]

I have quite a lot of half-siblings from my dad's former relationships. My dad is quite older than my mother, so some of my half-siblings are about the same age as my mother. That being said, we've always hade a good relationship, but I would be lying if I said that they've had any particular influence on me.