Getting that Bs while your brother has As. Yeah it sucks. I go through getting compared every single day and I’m tired of it.

I’m the middle child. The one who’s average, desperate for my parent’s attention, and a trouble maker. Then there’s my older brother, the good ‘ole smart one. Me and my brother used to have a good times. Typical video games, basketball, irrelevant fights, stuff; but that all changed when high school came.

Sibling Rivalry? It’s quite challenging. Whenever I get “ok” grades, I’m always holding myself back. I’m supposed to live up to be “excellent” as my brother, but I can’t be. I always try but I just can’t be as good as him. Why do I always do this?

Recently, these thoughts have been bugging me. Quite the good amount, actually. It causes me so much stress and, sometimes, I even blame my brother for it. It’s all his fault for being a genius. Straight A’s and AP Classes? Dude! I can’t even pass any of my history tests. I always wanted to be the “best” between us and it’s wrong because I know this isn’t a competition. I just want to prove them one thing– I’m something too.

So, I asked my brother what he thinks of our parent’s views on us. He said that it was weird and he doesn’t agree with all the comparing happening between us. He is fed up with it. He has observed that this “rivalry” has changed me and I’ve became more aggressive towards him. I didn’t used to be like this. He also observed that our parents do this because they care for our pathways.

All of these made me realized that putting the blame on him was completely wrong. The “rivalry” I thought we had, it was only in my eyes. No one saw it.

Now I’ve realized I only cared about me. I was only thinking of myself and not what others think about me. I concentrated too much on the negative things my parents put on me. I was too blind to think that it was meant for a way of motivation. I was childish. I was wrong.