Older sisters are the dickens I tell you! They are by nature…bossy, controlling and nurturing all rolled up into one pretty package. They are a breed of their own as far as I’m concerned.
My daughter, the oldest of my bunch, derived straight from this mold that I believe exists in the “oldest sister making factory.” She has all of the characteristics that I mentioned above. She can be scolding her little brothers one minute for acting like a bunch of hooligans and hugging and kissing them so sweetly after they’ve fallen and got hurt (from acting like hooligans) the next minute.
Now, the other key factor into being an older sister is you must, I repeat, YOU MUST make your younger siblings do many stupid things and catch it on film so they can be traumatized with it in later years. This is absolutely essential.
Here are some things that older sisters like to do:
Here is the first time Iris made Bency wear make-up
She has also made him dress up as the Tooth Fairy many o’ times!
Dress them up in girl baby clothes…This is Cesar at 6 months old
And more girl clothes…Cesar was such a good sport!
Put a flowery kerchief on their head is always good too!
Yesterday, Iris decided that she no longer needed Dora the Explorer barrettes in her hair accessory box anymore….so she gave them to Cesar! Not only did he let her put them in his hair but he just loves them! He has wore them for 2 days straight now and if any fall out he requests that they put back in!
Cesar with Dora barrettes in his hair!
I know all about this older sister business because I had one of my own. She is 12 years older than me:
My sister and I
Since she was older she did even more elaborate things to me…like give me home perms! For heaven’s sake why didn’t my Mom stop her?!
Check out this gem dandy of a hair-do!
So yes, older sisters are bossy and controlling. They will do things to embarrass you…intentionally or not. But through it all they will be there to hug and support you when things get tough and will love you no matter what…even if you have been acting like a complete hooligan!
Motherhood Is An Art 
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Older sisters are NOT bossy! I demand that you retract that!
Wait….did I just contradict myself?
I LOVE THE KERCHIEF picture!!!!!!!!!!! MY FAVORITE OF THE DAY! I will return to this often!
I think your daughter is brilliantly creative. And Bency and Cesar are reaping the benefits. 🙂 And by the way, that is one super adorable child perched atop her father with a great hair do. Hahahahahahahahahahaha!
This has made my day!
Oh Colleen…I can’t imagine that you were bossy at all or did anything remotely traumatizing to your siblings!! haha!! My Mom said that I thought that hair do was just the bees knees when I got it which I guess is confirmed by that big smile on my face!!
See? I do believe from what your mom just said, and the delusional comments that my younger siblings say…. older sisters get the brunt of grief! 🙂 You and your children are ADORABLE!
I am the dreaded older sister and yes, I totally dressed up my little brother in girl clothes and he liked it too (even though he maintains he only did it because my sister and i wouldn’t leave him alone) 🙂
I knew this had to be an across the board “oldest sister trait”…I just logged on and I see quite a few people have made the same confession!!! I am just cracking up that so many sisters pulled these shenanigans!
I’m glad I did it because now my “little” brother is about a foot taller than me and I can no longer hold him down to torture him! Got to do it while you can still have the upper hand! haha!
I seem to know an older, bossy sister too! My daughter has yet to fully torment her younger brother, but I remember my older sister doing crazy things to me. I had hair issues too – never a home perm like you – but she cut my bangs before kindergarten pictures and made a huge mess of my hair in middle school (even inviting over one of her friends to laugh at me). She “invented” the names butt wipe & poop stain for me too. It’s so funny remembering the “torment” because now we are the best of friends!!
Cathy…you win best comment today!! This one had me laughing so hard! One of the reasons I’m laughing so much too is because my brother also used to call me Poop Stain! Also, you really need to share that Kindergarten picture someday!!! That stuff is just too darn good!
Awesome! Wow – so Poop Stain was NOT a new name. I’ll have to break it to my sister that she was NOT original with that one. I’m sure being on the receiving end of the same foul name has made us better people!
I love that you capture all this stuff on camera. The kercheif is absolutely priceless. I’m an oldest sister, but I was much, much older when my siblings were born. I do wish I knew what it was like to have an older sister. Great blog!
Thanks Joyce! Well your siblings got the benefit of having that nurturing older sister and none of the complications of the traumatizing side effects of having one too close in age. Since my sister was that much older that was mostly what I got too…besides the home perm which I see that she just commented and is denying… she didn’t too much else!
I feel like this post should have begun with: Dear Stephanie, I have written about you 😉
And you’re SOOO right. About older sisters and that home perm—-daaaaang!
It’s funny you should mention that because when I was writing this I thought to myself, “should I be brazen enough to lump all older sisters into the same stereotype?” so I thought of all the older sisters I knew and of course you came to mind and I knew you definitely fit this stereotype so I went with it!!!
Ahahaha! I definitely fit that stereotype 😉
I love this! It’s so true!!
Thanks Christine!!
I’m the little sister and I was still bossy, controlling, and nurturing to my big brother. It’s a sister thing 🙂 Love this!
Thanks Sheri, I think you probably right…all sisters, no matter the birth order probably have this in them!!
ha!ha! I’m the older sister! I have 2 brothers and I’ve done all these things and worst to them! 😉 but I love them so much even if they are both grown up man now (with a kid) I still tease them, bug them, annoy them, hug them and make sure they behave! 😉 loved this post (I’m like Iris) Cesar with Dora barrettes is too cute and funny! I made my brothers wear dresses too! (when I tell them these stories, they pretend they don’t remember) ha!ha!
Ingrid, I bet you were and are the best big sister (even if you made them wear dresses)! Cesar wearing the barrettes is just cracking me up! He absolutely loves the Dora show so when she offered those barrettes up he was so excited! He won’t even take them out when he goes to bed!! My husband just keeps rolling his eyes!!
hi!hi! he’s adorable! I’m sure my husband would be rolling his eyes too! My son looks at me when I’m putting makeup on and now he wants to wear blush and mascara! (hubby doesn’t like it too much!) ha!ha! Kids!
Cute pics, and the one with your sister I think is very special. Be Blessed, Mtetar
Thank you Mtetar! Yes, I really like the one with my sister and me!
Always welcome, Melissa! Be Blessed, Mtetar
I’m the older sister, and yes, those traits are all mine – and I’ve done all of the above. but, I took it one stop further and even curled my little brother’s hair!
What???? Curling your brothers hair has got to earn you the “Most Prized Older Sister” award! That is absolutely hilarious!
🙂 Thanks! I’m still proud of that moment!
Older sisters dont sound too bad – in fact, they.
Whoops – cut off there.
Anyway they sound pretty sweet.
This younger brother of brothers knows about getting hit. Berets dont seem so bad after all.
Well, I was lucky enough to have one of each so I know all about having an older brother! We once got into a pillow fight and he hit me so hard that I lost a tooth! Granted it was a baby tooth but it was not loose at all!!
Ouch.
awwww what cute cute pictures, my kids are just the same. Oh and for the record I reckon you wore a perm very well! xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Thanks Teresa! Oh, there was one picture where my hair was absolutely HUGE from one of the perms she gave me…I looked all over for it but couldn’t find it! You would have been “dead chuffed” if you had seen that one!!
bet you still looked ‘stinkin cute’! x
I don’t remember giving you that perm. That had to have been mom and then blamed it on me when you saw the pictures when you are older. I’m not good at putting curlers in, but maybe I got a wild hair one day and decided to practice on you??? I’m just so glad I finally got my little sister, I had wanted you for so long!! Great post! I love Cesar in the barrettes. I have got a lot of pictures of Sam where I dressed him up as a girl, he was just such a beautiful child, I just had to see what he would look like girly, I know that’s crazy, but he could totally pull it off : )
Well, I’m pretty sure I remember you giving me that perm…in fact I think it was more than one time! Yes, Sam could pull it off! Cesar pulled off the baby dresses pretty well but the barrettes are a little questionable now! I hope he doesn’t want to wear them the next time we have to go to the store!
Again I can’t stop laughing!!! You are amazing truly – the witty comments on your photos – the flowered kerchief – the stunned look on the face to the perm (oh dear) – had me in stitches. I haven’t got a sister but I am sure there would have been battles! You are lucky to have her (most of the time ) 😉 and Iris what a gem! I so enjoyed this 🙂 xxx
Thanks Jen! That perm picture cracks me up so much!
I am an older sister – actually 12 years older than the baby sister, who is now approaching 13 and a “whatever” attitude about everything. I remember her driving me crazy – and me having to lock her out of my room – but I can’t seem to ever remember driving her crazy. I’m sure I was always an angel. 😉 But if anyone else messes with my little sisters, I would kill them. I may have death-glared a kindergartener who called my baby sister fat. I am not above that.
And I love those pictures of Cesar! Those should definitely come out when he brings home his first girl friend or his graduation or something equally embarrassing. Those are amazing!
Thanks Sarah! I love the “death-glared a Kindergartner”….now that’s what big sisters are for!!!
I get the same feel with my elder brother and after I was married and away, I miss him.. indeed.It’s nice to remind me of it.
Oh, that’s so sweet! Yes, even through all stuff those older siblings put us through we love every minute of it!
This is downright funny! Cesar is such a dear with the handkerchief and the Dora barrettes! I’m sure Bency would prefer that all photographic evidence of him and the tutu destroyed. Lol! I’m the older sis in question, with one of my brothers 12 years younger than me. I’m pretty sure I didn’t perm his hair! But you looked radiant with that smile.
I will have to make several copies of Bency in the tutu so I have lots of backups in case he tries to destroy them! They will be lots of fun to bring out when the boys are older!!
Haha… Yes. I think he will try to. But these are such precious memories!
Paige is the same way with Trystan! I have so many dress up pictures of him. When he starts dating, I’m going to LOVE bring those out! I want to be more upset when she’s mean to him, but then the mothering side kicks in and I forgive her!
PS – Last summer she got him to put on a bikini and parade around the house….those pictures are going to be GREAT blackmail someday!
Oh…a bikini…I may have to give Iris a few more ideas!!! haha!! That’s awesome!
Better a big sister than a big brother. At least a big sister keeps track of their siblings. My kids went bike riding together today and Mister lost his sister. Keep in mind that he is 9 and she has just turned 7 and they have only been riding their bikes for a couple of weeks. He arrived home without her. We jumped in the car and we were driving the streets trying to find her and he couldn’t even remember where he’d seen her last. I was driving down the main street when I could hear her crying out for me. She was quite distraught and was at the pet shop, which is owned by a family from the school. Thank goodness! She told me that she’d been following her brother. Unfortunately, I’ve sprained my leg and am not all that mobile at the moment so it’s all a bit of a worry!!
Oh my goodness…way to go big brother! That sounds so typical though! A big sister would have stayed out until she found her sibling or would have at least remembered where she had seen them last!!
Oh, how clever Iris is! And the boys, well they just look adorable, don’t they? I hope the good things about being a big sister comes out soon in Charlotte soon because at the moment, Emma just sees her as a big, bossy, not-so-nice big sister!
haha!! I’m sure it’s a whole different dynamic when it’s two girls close in age compared to a girl and boy close in age!
I was an older sister. My brother’s still has the scars (Emotional 😛 ).
That is so hard to believe Jane!!
But, speaking for all older sisters, we do everything out of love! 😉 We have had more life experience, so naturally we want to help!
haha!!! That does make perfect sense! Helping are bossing around are hard to differentiate between sometimes!!!
You had me cracking up. I am the oldest sister and you better believe I am bossy. I want to be bossy because I can be bossy and I am bossy because somebody needs to be bossy. Those other kids would have burned the house down if it wasn’t for me. And yet to this day when somebody needs some love it is me they call first.
Liz, I’m sure there was no other person they would rather have been bossed around by!! And I think you make a perfect point…not only did you want to be bossy but someone had to do it…I get so busy around here and I think my daughter naturally feels it’s here place to keep things running smooth! Thank goodness for older sisters!
Aw. I want an older sister. Or a little sister. Or a big brother. Or a baby brother. Even a dog would do.
Oh just think of the creative oppression that a sibling would have brought on you…there is no way you would have named your feet or went around acting like a dog…a sibling never would have let you get away with that!
Ah, I never thought of it that way before. My lack of siblings inspired insanity…ooops, I mean creativity.
Melissa neglected to tell you about the bossy abuse she big sisterly gave her nephew who was 8 years younger … he still talks about the things she did …. all in the name of fun !!!!!! He learned the joy of Barbies at an early age …. and he picked a Barbie black haired beauty to be his bride …. Today is their wedding day in Hawaii ……
As you already know, Iris and my daughter have so much in common. My firstborn LOVES dressing up her brother too. In fact, she puts his hair in pig tails and makes him wear her Cinderella gown. She calls him “Christina” when they play dress up! 🙂
That is hilarious that she even has her own “special” name for him Anka!!!
Thank you, thank you Melissa for this post. It has helped mend my broken little heart. As both an older and younger sister, you speak the truth. Big love. x
Omgoodness Cesar was so adorable as a baby girl lol I laughed because I did the same to my baby brother. I dressed him in my Cabbage Patch doll’s clothes:-) gotta love big sissies:-)
Oh, I love that you dressed him Cabbage Patch doll clothes! Now, that had to be cute! Yes, I think Cesar pulled off being a girl quite nicely!!!
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