A tooth brush, Clorox wipes, laundry detergent, and hundreds of other things crammed into boxes and sealed away. The next time the content of the boxes would see the light of day, they’d be miles away in a college dorm.
In the study Siblings and Children’s Time Use in the U.S. done by Paula Fomny and Kelly Musick, it was found that 82% of children below the age of 18 live with at least one sibling in the U.S., a percent that includes Liberty High School students. Fomny and Musick also found that children who live with their siblings spend the majority of their free time “engaged in activities with their siblings, highlighting the important role that siblings play in each other’s lives.” As a result, siblings grow a close bond that moving out for college often interferes with.
Jada Gant, a Liberty sophomore, was casually sitting in the car with her older sister, who will graduate this coming summer, before school when her sister asked, “How are we gonna do our little chats in the car when I’m in college?” To which Gant responded saying she didn’t want to cry before school. Similarly, Kaelyn Finnigan, a sophomore at Liberty, mentioned that when her older sister left for college while she was in third grade, she sobbed.
Younger siblings are not the only ones affected when their older siblings move out for college. In a survey done by 55places, it was revealed that 66% of parents have experienced empty nest syndrome. Oxford Languages defines empty nest syndrome as “sadness or emotional distress affectings parents whose children have grown up and left home.”
When an older child moves out, family roles shift as the responsibilities the older sibling once had are passed on to the caregivers or younger child. Despite the shift of family roles, the personalities of the younger and older siblings impact their roles. In the article "8 Signs Of Oldest Child Syndrome And How To Deal With It" by Dr. Meenakshi Maruwada, oldest child syndrome is described as the behavioral changes shown by the firstborn following the birth of their younger sibling. The characteristics that develop as a result include dominating tendencies, an unhealthy competitive attitude, and becoming controlling. In addition, according to Dr. Suzanne Degges-White of Choosing Therapy, referring to the youngest as the “baby” of the family suggests that the youngest child never fully grows up, and may never carry the same level of seriousness in their life as their older sibling. These personality traits influence what responsibilities older or younger siblings have.
Beyond the change in family roles, paying for college can put a strain on a family. In the article "How Can Going to College Affect a Family?" by Kristine Tucker, college tuition and the burden it creates for families with limited access to resources is brought up. Tucker goes on to mention how the location of a college can affect the frequency of visits and reduce the time families spend together, further affecting family relationships.
________________________________________________________________________
Cover photo courtesy of Getty Images
Loujain Habibi is a staff writer and editor for The Lion's Roar. You can learn more information about the writer by clicking here.
Comentários