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Relationships with Siblings
Knowing Your Sibling Relationship Will Change Makes All the Difference

By Kelci Lynn, About.com

Your sister may be your best friend, or you may not be able to stay in the same room with your half-brother for more than 5 minutes. Either way, things are going to change when you start going to school.

Think about Them

Just be patient and try to keep this in mind, especially during your first visit home. Are you the first kid to leave home for school? The dynamics of your house and family will have shifted in your absence. Are you the last kid to leave home? Your siblings may now treat you a little more like an adult.

Think about You

Additionally, you will have changed as well. You might now be used to hanging out with your friends whenever you wish, which may be hard for your younger brother to get used to. (He may still be interested in playing video games together all weekend.) You may come home to find your sister has grown 3 inches since you last saw her. Your homework load has probably increased, meaning the time spent with your siblings needs to be restructured from how it was in high school. Keep in mind, too, that younger siblings may feel left behind and have a bit of resentment (and even jealousy). After all, after you left, they had to deal with your parents much more!

No matter what your relationship is like, just remember that it's normal for it to change and even be a little awkward as you go through college. Being aware of such change is perhaps the most important thing to remember when interacting with your siblings once you're a college student.

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