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I moved away from my hometown a long time ago. I haven’t lived there for 12 years. To me, leaving one’s childhood town was always an important part of growing up, standing on one’s own two feet, and forming one’s identity, separate from the family. I know that someone doesn’t have to leave home to do these things, but maybe due to the movies I watched and the books I read as a child, leaving home was, in my mind, a necessity of growing up. So I left. I never thought that that made me evil. I really thought that’s what people do at age 18. And maybe my leaving wouldn’t have looked so bad if my sister hadn’t stuck around—so now everyone is able to compare us. She lives in the same, little town that our family does and that obligates her to a lot of family events and tasks from which I’m spared. It has, perhaps, caused a little rift between us, and made me look like the “bad child.” Here’s what it’s like being the sibling who left town, leaving the other with all of the burden.
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Your sibling does all the house care
My sister has to go water the plants, bring in the mail, and take care of their dog when my parents go on a trip. She has to stop by their house several times a week, for various reasons, to help out with things.
