Shonushka Sawant | Web Editor

As someone with siblings, I’ve thought time and again that living side by side with sisters and brothers yields only rewards. It’s true that siblings are invaluable playmates as children and fulfill lifetime roles as companions and friends. However, there are also some lesser-known perks to growing up in a crowded household.

1. When you have multiple siblings, there is always someone who will keep you out of trouble. Time and again, siblings appeal to each other to get out of trouble and are indulged more often than not. Not to say that there isn’t occasionally an epidemic of unnecessary tattling (which usually results in tears and guffaws all round) but siblings generally stick together when the threat of a long lecture is close at hand.

1. Siblings tend to share the same tastes in food, or at least they do in my experience. There’s rarely a domestic dispute over what to have for dinner if the children are given a choice; it’s easy to find something that will please everyone. After all, people love best what they grow up eating, and having siblings close in age is a guarantee for several common favorite dishes.

1. The house is never truly quiet. Granted, as children get older, it grows more and more likely that not everyone is home at once. However, in the evenings, the house is often a babble of excited talk and boisterous laughter. If you want to share a hilarious story or complain about an outrageous act of injustice at school, there’s always someone at hand to lend an ear and offer a variety of unhelpful comments that keep conversation interesting.

1. Playing house does not require dolls. When multiple siblings play house together, there are always enough people to fulfill the basic requirements of role-playing. Whether it’s just a simple game of pretend or an elaborate fantasy of magical make-believe, no one ever needs to imagine playmates into existence as well. What’s more, bundling a live baby into a small stroller is infinitely more satisfying than carrying a battered doll around.

1. Lastly, pranking turns from a moment’s joke to an exhilarating battle when there are several other people to do it with. Practical jokes on younger siblings are hilarious, as long as the prank is interesting and not in any way liable to make a young child cry. Even older children rarely fail to respond to a well-executed “BOO!” in a quiet room with an ear-splitting shriek.