Pro by Julianne Cauley
News Editor
Con By Tolu Salako
Staff Writer
Pro
As I learned all of what my sister accomplished during her high school career, I am honored, rather than burdened, to follow in her footsteps. Coming into this school as a freshman, my sister was the ideal senior. Throughout her four years, Caroline was named class officer numerous times, performed in both Vivace! and Lariettes, and was an esteemed Red Jacket. She is beautiful, talented and has a selfless heart for anyone she encounters: the epitome of a “golden child.” Being her younger sibling has had hindrances, but the perks are endless.
She provided an example for me to follow. As I entered high school, the intimidation factor was not as prevalent. I knew the school, the administration and the Cowboy traditions.
Where siblings get in trouble is when the rivalry becomes the whole focus of one’s individual accomplishments. When one measures their individual value on the same scale as their sibling, trouble arises. When siblings cannot be beat, unhappiness becomes present. One must use a sibling’s success as inspiration, not as a checklist to complete and extend.
When I transitioned through middle school and began my high school journey, I was labeled early on by my teachers and fellow schoolmates as just “Caroline’s sister” or “little Cauley.” In my mind I felt invisible. I was not just that, I was Julianne Cauley and I wanted to be known for my individual self – not my older sister. While we were similar in many ways, I wanted to find confidence in myself on my own. Yes, I am constantly compared to her, but I reacted with a desire to establish myself as a different individual outside of her glorious shadow.
Sibling rivalries do not have to be negative. Or at least not in my opinion. Rivalries are friendly competitive actions. It is obvious in the realm of sports that teams rise to the occasion when they are playing against a rival team. This is applicable to sibling rivalries as well. My sister’s success pushed me to do well and rise to the occasion. If she could do it, so could I.
Yes, I am my own self, driven by my own ambitions, but it would be naïve of me to say that I have shaped my own path. I have Caroline to thank for inspiring me to create my own journey at Coppell High School. Thank you sis, for inspiring me to leave my own mark throughout life and not causing myself exhaustion by the work it would take to reach your level.
Con
It is almost as if I am living on three hours of sleep everyday. Whether it is cramming for AP World History or studying for my next Algebra II test, I still cannot seem to meet my expectations in performing better than my older sister.
With my sister being four years older than me, attending Southern Methodist University with a full scholarship, an avid volunteer and a well-rounded student, in a nutshell, my sister is the definition of the perfect Coppell High School student.
Being a sophomore at CHS trying to obtain the same things as my older sister is truly a struggle and it has strained our relationship at times, causing us to have a sibling rivalry.
Constantly, I am reminded of my sister’s success, making me feel as if I am obligated to copy every single thing that she does. One would probably say I am jealous. I may be jealous, but this jealousy is the foundation of a long lasting sibling rivalry.
With CHS being so competitive, GPA and SAT/PSAT scores are some of our main priorities. The problem is, with my sister having obtained a high GPA, SAT score and a National Merit Semi-Finalist, I am not only pushed to do as well as her, I am often pushed to do even better.
For those who know me, many will tell you that I am far from perfect, making me irritated when I feel that my sister is the perfect daughter. Don’t get me wrong, I love my sister more than anything in the world, and weirdly enough, I would not trade her in for anything. But rivalries have such a negative effect on siblings.
Instead of loving them for who they are and accepting that some of their qualities may be better than yours, we become jealous and it is because the relationship is just a competition of who can outdo the other. Though you may feel that you hate your brother or sister, you will always love them deep down. It is a twisted relationship.
The stereotype of younger siblings is that we tend to get all the attention. Sure there are perks of being the younger sister, but there are far more perks of being the perfect older one.
I want to have her intelligence, her ability to make friends easily. I want to have her personable attitude that gets her through every interview with flying colors and makes her so easy to talk to. I want to be able to get her SAT score, or even higher, and I want to have a high rank and grade point average like her.
Sibling rivalries are known to break relationships, but I am fortunate enough that my sister and I talked about this rivalry before it got out of hand. If not, I would have lost the close relationship that I have with my only sister. Unfortunately, some are not as fortunate and continue to hate their siblings into adulthood because of some small issues like grades and personality.
Sure I want to have some of my sister’s qualities, but we all need to learn that everyone is different and not to let our differences affect our relationship with our siblings.
