u/Glittering_Pin_9942

Sige nga haha.

I'm curious.

Something you cannot skip doing.

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As the bunso, it hurts when my struggles are invalidated or mocked by my older siblings. I know panganays had it rough, and some had to grow up fast because they needed to become second parents, but that doesn’t mean the struggles and suffering of younger siblings are invalid or easier.

I’ve had to prove myself all the time to my siblings because they think I’m sheltered or babied. I was a scholar from senior high to college. I graduated cum laude and landed a good-paying job right away. My ate, who is the panganay, has always had bad blood against me even though I’ve never done anything to her. I have been nothing but a good sister to her, especially since we’re the only girls among five siblings. She’s always mad, not in the mood, or cold when talking to me. We’ve had good times and we still talk, but she often gives me the impression that she’s the only one going through harder things and that my struggles are just easy to deal with.

I never relied on my parents, and I grew up not hugging or kissing them that much because my sister would always give me an icky stare when I did. I grew up trying to prove to her that I was not babied by my parents. I know she had it rough, just like other panganays, but it’s not always easy for the bunso in every family. Some of us had to grow up independently. I grew up feeling that my ate was jealous of the attention I received from our parents, which is why I also became less close to them. I wanted to prove her wrong.

I moved out last year because of work, and you have no idea how good I feel because of the peace I have from living alone. I love you, ate, but I just hope you’ll stop treating me poorly whenever something good happens to me and stop mocking my struggles whenever I feel bad.

Just for the record, we’ve talked about this many times already. Still, nothing has changed. She will always see me as someone who had it way easier, but I definitely did not.

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What are your thoughts on Threads?

I appreciate how people from all over the world can connect and support one another, but sometimes I find it too performative. Of course, not everyone is like that, but sometimes you can just tell when people are being genuine or when they’re only doing things for likes and follows.

I know social media in general can be performative and filled with fakeness, but Threads seems especially full of people seeking validation. I often see people posting photos and saying they feel ugly or think they look ugly. Sometimes, it’s obvious they’re expecting praise and admiration. But when they receive realistic responses, they get mad or annoyed, even though they asked for honesty and “real talk” in the first place.

Threads feels like a version of how people wish the world looked offline. People support your interests, encourage you, give you opportunities, and more. But I just hope people don’t make it a habit to post things purely for validation or create fake stories just for likes and admiration.