I am the eldest sibling, and in my own experience, my brother that I am closest in age to, we both fought and teased each other a bunch growing up. But we also have each other’s backs in a way we don’t have with our other siblings, since we grew up so closely together. I think the bickering was just a part of being kids and slowly maturing. I actually think having a sibling like that is an important part of learning how to resolve conflicts and be social.

My other siblings are much younger, so I was already a lot more mature when they came around. So I definitely wasn’t going to bully or beat up on them, and I certainly feel very protective of them. They’re all independent people who can take care of themselves, but if I see someone hurting them, you’d best believe that whoever is doing that will be getting an earful, at minimum. (Assuming that my sibling is okay with that, I don’t want to butt into something where they don’t want me involved)

I’m sorry to hear that your brother treated you so poorly. You didn’t deserve that, and he should have done better. I hope you have people in your life now who will stand up for you and protect you when you need it <3