Get all your news in one place.

100’s of premium titles.
One app.

Start reading

Get all your news in one place.

100’s of premium titles. One news app.

Start reading

Bored Panda

Simona Kinderytė

50 Awesome Siblings Who Made The Internet Melt With Wholesome Gestures

During the holidays, our family can test our patience more than usual. Especially our siblings, who often know exactly how to push our buttons. But they're also the people who've grown up alongside us, shared our inside jokes, and seen every version of us—good and bad. And honestly, who else can make us laugh quite like they do? To remind everyone of the special place brothers and sisters hold in each other's lives, we compiled a list of wholesome moments that perfectly capture their unique bond.

#1 Honouring A Brother

#2 Five Years Ago My Brother Donated His Bone Marrow To Cure My Leukemia. We Traveled Together This Summer! Thanks To His Gift We Can Grow Up Together

#3 My Roommate Facetimes His Little Sister Every Week To Help Her With Algebra

Talking about siblings, some mention their rivalry as almost a detriment to the family. But a YouGov poll found that fewer than half of Americans with at least one sibling (46%) say they experienced it growing up. This type of competition is similarly likely among men (47%) and women (46%) with siblings, though middle children (50%) are slightly more likely than the oldest (44%) or youngest (46%) to claim such a dynamic existed for them.

Americans are split on whether sibling rivalries in childhood do more to help (21%) or hurt (25%) their relationships in the long run, while 33% say they do neither.

#4 My Little Brother Has Autism. He Turned 17 Today. I Came Home From Work To This Note

#5 My Little Sister’s Financial Aid No Longer Covers Her Tuition And She Was Going To Have To Sit Out Of School Next Semester

I wasn’t going to let that happen. That balance is being PAID IN FULL, baby girl. No more worries. You will finish your program strong! I got you forever!

#6 I’m Trans (FTM) And My Family Isn’t Very Supportive Of Really Anything I Do, Especially Transitioning, Except My Brother. Today, He Asked Me To Be His Best Man In His Wedding

Corinna Jenkins Tucker, Ph.D., C.F.L.E., is the Director, and Tanya Rouleau Whitworth, Ph.D., is a Research Scientist at the Sibling Aggression and Abuse Research and Advocacy Initiative at the University of New Hampshire. According to them, the three distinct characteristics that make this relationship so special are everyday contact, emotional intensity, and the involuntary nature of the relationship.

"Together, these characteristics create a distinct freedom and familiarity that enables learning important thinking and relationship skills," the academics write. "It is these unique characteristics that also make this relationship different from one with a parent, friend, or romantic partner, and why sibling relationships are so important to people's lives."

#7 My Sister Is Blind. This Year I’m Making Her Christmas Wrap Tactile With Puffy Paint!

She’s always a little sad that she can’t see the lights or gift wrap so this I’m making it tactile for her as a surprise! I’m also going to use a velvety bow so that is tactile too.

#8 An Artist In The Making

#9 My Sister Made A Cool Octopus Hat For My Birthday, Sickest Hat I've Ever Seen

Tucker and Whitworth highlight that since most children live with their siblings all or at least part of the time, they get plenty of opportunities to hang out, play games and sports, share mealtimes, and celebrate accomplishments and holidays.

"Some children spend more time with their siblings than with their friends, parents, or by themselves. The extensive time siblings spend together creates a shared history and familiarity not necessarily experienced in other relationships. Time together can create a strong bond," the researchers explain.

#10 My Brother Is A Low Functioning Downsie. He Used To Love To Hold Babies, But It's Rare Someone Lets Him Now

My wife and I let him hold our baby today, and here is his look when we gave her to him, and then the way he held her without movement for 5 minutes. I almost cried.

#11 Successfully Donated A Kidney To My Sister Who's Been Fighting Lupus

#12 My Twin Brother Took His Life Last Year, But He Left Scheduled Emails To Check On Me

I’m crying over a lame guy, left pregnant and moved from Sweden lol I’m naming my daughter after him, and this email is just what I needed today.

However, as we can see from the pictures, siblings can be important sources of love and companionship throughout all stages of life.

"While growing up, frequent contact and a shared history provide siblings with close knowledge of each other's quirks, worries, and joys," Tucker and Whitworth say.

"Unlike friendships, relationships with siblings in childhood and adolescence include less choice about continuing or ending them. If two friends are not getting along, one may decide to move on from the friendship. This is unlikely with siblings, sometimes leaving children feeling 'stuck' with their brother or sister. However, this sometimes-reluctant connection can also provide freedom to explore diverse ways of interacting with another person, like a testing ground with less worry about losing the relationship."

#13 Today, My Daughter Graduated From Pre-K. After The Ceremony My Son Walked Up To Her And Gave Her A Hug. “I’m Just So Proud Of You,” He Said

Then, of course, my daughter started crying. As we wiped away our tears, my husband asked her, “Pumpkin, why are you crying?” She responded, “I’m just so happy.” We are so blessed.

#14 I Came Out As Trans To My Family, And My 9-Year-Old Old Sister Sent Me This

#15 Got To Take My Baby Sister To Her First Daddy-Daughter Dance The Other Night

Sorry you don't have a dad, but I'll always be there for you.

Another YouGov survey found that among oldest siblings, 16% loved being the oldest and 28% liked it. Middle children are less likely to say they loved (12%) or liked (18%) their place in the birth order; meanwhile, 21% of youngest siblings loved being the youngest and 22% liked it.

Also, it seems that more really is merrier. Among people who have one sibling, 40% say their desired number of siblings is one and 28% would prefer to have had two. But among people with two siblings, 55% say their desired number of siblings is two, and among people with three siblings, 59% say their desired number of siblings is three.

#16 It's My Little Sister's Birthday, So I Carved A Wooden Rabbit For Her. Although It's Pretty Ugly, I Really Did My Best. Wishing My Cutest Little Sister A Very Happy Birthday

#17 My Sister Made This Beautiful Cake For Me And I Wanted To Share It With You Guys

#18 This Is Beautiful

#19 My Sister Gave Me A Small But Thoughtful Gift

My sister is deaf and recently attended a fundraiser for deaf and hard-of-hearing people. And with the last of her pennies (as she knows I absolutely love Spider-Man), she decided to get me this little keychain. Definitely made my day.

Another interesting finding was that among only children, 34% prefer the situation they had, but two-thirds wish they had one or more siblings. I guess even solo acts sometimes dream of forming a band!

#20 I Voluntarily Went To A Psych Hospital Program For 2 Weeks. I Told Myself That If I Gave It My All, I Would Reward Myself With This Necklace

Today, the necklace arrived, but I hadn’t ordered it... My little sister did.

#21 My Brother (21, Autistic & Blind) Texted Me For The First Time Recently. He Also Said I Love You For The First Time Ever

After all these years, I couldn’t understand why he would not say I love you back. Now I realize he just needed a different medium to say it back. It’s been a few days, and I’m still sobbing.

#22 A Big Brother Helping His Father To Give Skin-To-Skin Contact To His Premature Twin Siblings

#23 I’m The Sister

#24 My Brother Was Put Up For Adoption At Birth. 22 Years Later, Living Together, Making Up For Lost Years

#25 What A Good Little Brother

#26 Matching Tattoos With My Siblings. No Matter The Circumstances We Have Each Other For Life

#27 Very Sweet

#28 My Parents Told My Little Sister She Couldn't Dye Her Hair Unless She Found Someone To Do It With Her... So Guess Who Has Purple Hair Now

#29 I Was Adopted 22 Years Ago. This Is The First Picture With My Older Sister

#30 My Siblings Make Life Worth Living

#31 This Brother, Robert Irwin, Who Will Happily Walk His Sister, Bindi Irwin, Down The Aisle

#32 I Only Get To See My Little Sister Once Every 4 Months When I Come Back For 2 Weeks From A Semester Of School. She Always Gets So Excited When I Come Home

#33 My Birthday Gift From My Little Brother

It was my 19th birthday last week, and my little brother told me that he wasn’t able to buy me anything. Instead, he made me these because I was so excited about the Switch 2 reveal earlier this month.