Three’s company: Junior gets along with siblings, enjoys having big family

”Can I come on the date with you?” junior Olivia Whiting’s 9-year-old sister, Francesca, asked her as Olivia straightened her hair.

“There won’t be enough seats,” Olivia replied.

“I can sit on your lap!”

Having two younger sisters, Whiting is used to conversations like these.

“I think being the oldest child in the family gives me an advantage with regard to parental expectations,” Whiting said. “There isn’t anyone for me to be compared to and I don’t really have anything to live up to.”

Compared to other parents, Whiting feels that hers are more relaxed.

“They trust me, and they’re figuring out limitations as I grow up. Whatever bar I set will probably be the lowest expectation for my sisters,” Whiting said.

Now that her siblings are older, Whiting argues with them much less than she used to.

“Anna, my 13-year-old sister, is a lot easier to get along with now that she’s more mature,” Whiting said. “We can share clothes and have real conversations about things that we never really could before.”

The seven-year difference between Olivia and her youngest sister sometimes presents challenges.

“Francesca is more immature and certainly gets on my nerves more than Anna, who has grown out of the mindset that teasing and pestering is funny.”

Although Olivia is not always the center of attention, she enjoys having her sisters around.

“I have to stay home or change plans sometimes to babysit, but it’s nice having someone understand when parents are being unreasonable,” Whiting said. “It’s more entertaining to have siblings who can make you laugh and are there to comfort and support you.”