When your siblings are ten, fifteen, or more years older (or younger) than you, it’s an entirely different experience

One Thursday afternoon in November, Malka’s* mother asked her to please make the chicken for Shabbos. Being a typical 16-year-old, Malka asked if she really had to do it that minute. “I think it would be a good idea to get it done now,” her mother replied. Malka made the chicken and went about her night as usual. In the wee hours of Friday morning, the phone rang — she had a new baby sister!

“We were so excited,” says Malka. “Because we were three girls and then three boys, I was thrilled to have a new baby sister.”

Malka got to enjoy her new baby sister, Avigayil*, for her whole junior and senior year of high school before she went to seminary and then to New York for college.

“I was two when Malka left home and four when she got married,” shares Avigayil, now in her thirties. She doesn’t have memories of Malka from that time, and only knows her wedding from pictures, but she does have a distinct memory of getting her first nephew. “I brought him in for show-and-tell when Malka came for Shabbos!” Avigayil says.

Being a teen and having a new baby could be a great opportunity to play house, like it was for Racheli*, who was a senior in high school when her sister Hindy* was born. “Babies add so much joy to a household,” she says. Racheli had her driver’s license and would take her baby sister out places, even taking a six-hour road trip, just her and Hindy, to visit their grandparents. “I took her out to an event myself and she spit up all over me!” Racheli remembered fondly. “It was very special to have a new sibling when I was old enough to take care of her.”

It was a short-lived stage, since Racheli was just finishing high school, and was soon off to seminary and shortly after that, started her own family in a different city. “That was so hard,” she says. “I missed Hindy’s cutest years.”

When Chany found out her mother was having twins, she was, to put it mildly, less than thrilled. “I was in eleventh grade and doing my own thing with my own friends. None of my classmates’ mothers were having babies. We were beyond that. I wasn’t interested,” she says.

The twins, Leah and Shlomo, are now in seventh grade. They were four when Chany got married. “I don’t remember Chany when she was in the house,” says Leah. “I do have a few memories of her, but the rest are when she’s out of the house.”

“We really didn’t have much to do with each other,” adds Chany. “A year or two ago, Leah and Shlomo had a birthday party and one of the games was, ‘Who knows more facts about the twins?’ I got every single question wrong. I don’t think there was one that I got right. It was embarrassing!”

“There were only two options for answers!” Leah exclaims with a smile.

“Yeah, there were only two options and I still got them all wrong!” confirms Chany.