Sibling Rivalry Ensues After The Eldest Helped His Neglected Sibling Look For A Job And Refused To Do The Same For Their "Golden Child" Sister
The neglected brother and the favorite sister are twins, but their parents favored one over the other.
The relationship with siblings is a unique one; you band together during challenging times, but you will also be the first ones to annoy each other to death. Not all sibling relationships are great; some simply don't get along for one reason or another.
A young adult asked Reddit for advice about himself and his younger siblings, who happen to be twins. OP (original poster) has two 18-year-old siblings named Joe and Jill, who are graduating high school at the same time.
Growing up, it was obvious to OP and anyone in the family that their parents favored Jill more than Joe. Jill was the golden child who could do no wrong, while Joe was the twin they never asked for.
Even the other members of the extended family were not secretive about their favoritism toward Jill. OP felt bad for his brother Joe, and because of this, he did everything he could to make Joe feel less alone while they were growing up.
When their parents took Jill shopping, OP asked Joe to go to a skate park with him and his friends. While the parents were busy cheering for Jill in one of her pageants, OP made his friends watch Joe during his school play.
At first, OP and his friends did all this out of pity for Joe, but eventually, they started to genuinely like him and treat him as a friend. Jill, on the other hand, grew up thinking she was the queen of the world because of the way their parents raised her.
OP spent more and more time with Joe because he simply didn't like Jill, who was becoming more of a spoiled brat every day. OP never openly expressed his preference for Joe over Jill, but it wasn't really a secret.
He made it clear through his actions that he didn't like spending time with entitled brats like Jill.
After high school, both twins will be attending universities. Jill will go to San Francisco, funded by their parents, while Joe will attend a university in Seattle, just 20 minutes away from OP.
However, he's doing all of this without their parents' help. Joe received a full scholarship; because of this, their parents think he doesn't need any financial assistance from them. When OP learned of this news, he wasn't surprised, so he did what he had to do — he helped Joe.
OP called around to ask if anyone was hiring next fall. He was on FaceTime with Joe while doing this because he wanted to reassure him that he would be okay.
OP told Joe that he would find him a job that pays enough, and that it was actually a good thing not to receive any help from their parents. OP said that this way, they wouldn't bother him about how he spends his money.
In the end, OP was successful in reassuring his brother, and they ended the call. Of course, Jill heard about all of this and started messaging OP non-stop the next day.
She demanded that he find a job for her as well because she didn't want their father nagging her. OP politely told her that he couldn't do that since he didn't know anyone in San Francisco.
Jill became angry at the rejection and confronted OP about favoring Joe over her, which is, in fact, true. OP says he loves both of his siblings, but he doesn't like Jill, and she hasn't done anything to change that.
throwaway649q
Is OP an a**hole for favoring one sibling over another? Read his full story below:
throwaway649q
throwaway649q
"I prefer not to spend my time with entitled brats."
throwaway649q
"This is also hardly surprising."
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"I got him to feel better about the whole thing."
throwaway649q
Redditors reassured OP that he was the absolute best brother Joe needed growing up, but he should also try giving Jill a chance.
BaltimoreBadger23
OP sounds like a proud brother bragging about his extremely cool sibling, and he's not closing the door on Jill entirely, but she has a lot of growing up to do.
throwaway649q
Love, love the term space goat!
mer-shark
There's no limit to what Joe can do, especially with a supportive brother like OP cheering him on.
throwaway649q
It will be the best and most fulfilling job OP will ever have.
BaltimoreBadger23
The world needs more of OP, and Joe is fortunate to have a brother like him.
SkreechingEcho
As for Jill, if OP is willing, he can try talking to her directly and wait to see if she changes into a better person.
sandwich_paper
You can't place all the blame on Jill for how their parents chose to raise them, but OP can enlighten her.
sandwich_paper
Jill should take this as an opportunity to become a good adult, outside of their parents' influence.
KAT_GRL_WNDR
Jill is an adult, and if her behavior doesn't change, it's okay to love her from afar.
KAT_GRL_WNDR
This was one of the most heartwarming parts of OP's story.
procrastinating_b, Slicerette
Jill needs a little patience, but she really has to work on herself because her parents did more damage than good by raising her as the favored one.
Zookeeper-007
Her first dose of reality was OP's refusal to do what she wanted, and judging by her reaction, she has a lot to improve.
PeggyHW
Joe is Harry while Jill is Dudley, and OP is Dumbledore? It's a good comparison, especially with the parents being Mr. and Mrs. Dursley.
whykaty
While OP is admirable for treating his brother the way he deserves, it's also a bit sad. Even as a kid, OP saw the unfairness of their home life, and he had to step up as a child himself to nurture his brother because their parents were horrible adults.
Nevertheless, he did a good job showing Joe what love is supposed to look like. OP is a good person, and we can only hope that Joe follows in his footsteps.
