Katharina Buczek
For some people, starting a family at the same time as their siblings can be wonderful. They get to bond over the challenges and triumphs of parenthood while their kiddos form priceless relationships as cousins.
But, for others, the experience can be dreadful, particularly when comparisons start to rear their ugly head and make the whole thing feel like a competition.
This 32-year-old woman is sadly in the same boat with her little sister, who’s 30. For some context, she has a 5-year-old daughter.
“And my sister, who has two kids of her own, has always had a habit of comparing her children to mine, even if it’s unintentional,” she said.
For instance, whenever the three kids are together, her sister won’t stop talking about how advanced her children are, claiming they can already play the piano or read at just 2 years old.
It always makes her feel like her sister’s insinuating that her daughter simply doesn’t “measure up.”
“I’ve tried to brush it off, but it really gets to me, especially as I’m already dealing with my own insecurities about parenting,” she explained.
So, now that she’s throwing her daughter a birthday party, she was recently confronted with a tough decision. More specifically, whether to invite her sister.
She intends to host the celebration at her house and make it a fun day filled with cake, games, and friends. She also wants the party to be low-stress and enjoyable for her daughter, and honestly, she’s not interested in dealing with any more comparisons, either.
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