National Siblings Day is a holiday that’s observed in the United States and some parts of Canada on the 10th of April. Although it’s not federally recognized in the U.S. like Mother’s Day or Father’s Day, there are organizations working on getting it federally recognized.

It is widely recognized in many U.S. States, however. As of the time of us writing about this holiday, this holiday has been recognized by 49 U.S. States. This is a day that recognizes the strong bond that siblings share and encourages people to make sure that their sibling bond remains strong as the years go by.

The History Of National Siblings Day

National Siblings Day is a holiday that was created in 1995 by Claudia Evart. This native New Yorker created this holiday after losing two of her siblings early in life. This reinforced in her the importance of siblings and the value of cherishing that special bond.

She would create the Siblings Day Foundation (SDF), a non-profit that would advocate for the establishment of this national holiday. Claudia chose the date for this holiday because it was her late sister’s birthday.

Some Amazing Facts About Siblings

People who have brothers and/or sisters tend to believe that they know everything about the dynamics of the sibling relationship. However, we’re here to say that that might not be exactly true.

We believe that there are quite a few things that people might not know about the general topic of siblings. Sure, they might know everything about their own sibling, but we believe that the following facts will prove to be quite surprising. Don’t believe us? Well, then follow us as we go through the following sibling facts.

People Tend To Spend Significant Time With Their Siblings

According to the latest research, people spend approximately 33% of their spare time with their siblings until they turn 11 years old. After the age of 11, they tend to hang out with their siblings for about 11 hours per week. Over time, this figure can shrink, however, as people get involved with their own families and careers.

First Born Children Tend To Be Taller

A recent New Zealand study of over 300 children has recently shown that first-born children tend to be taller than second-born children. This study also showed that second-born children also tend to be taller than third-born children. So does this mean having an older sibling makes a person shorter? We’re not sure, but the evidence does seem to point in that direction.

Older Siblings Also Tend To Be Smarter

Another recent study of over 5,000 children has shown that older siblings tend to be smarter than younger ones. It’s believed that this is because older children receive more support from their parents than younger children. And this support tends to pay off as older siblings are 16% more likely to pursue higher education than younger children.

Younger Siblings Tend To Have A Better Sense Of Humor

Okay, so far it seems like being an older sibling is pretty damn cool and being a younger sibling tends to kind of suck. Fortunately, we’ve found out some information that’s going to make things just a little bit better for younger siblings.

It would appear that younger siblings are a whole lot funnier. This isn’t according to us, however. It’s according to a YouGov study that examined the personality traits of older and younger children in British families.

Older children tended to feel like they had to be more responsible, so they were less likely to cut loose and have some fun. Younger children didn’t have the same expectations placed on them, so they were able to really cut loose with the jokes and have a good time.

Observing National Siblings Day

This holiday is fairly easy to observe. All that’s required is a person taking the time to spend some time with their sibling. This can be done by having them over for dinner, by throwing a special siblings-only party, or by going through photo albums with their siblings.

And, of course, people can spread the word about this holiday using the hashtag #NationalSiblingsDay on social media. Not everyone who is celebrating this holiday is going to have living siblings.

In that case, this holiday can be used to commemorate the lives of these lost siblings and to allow people to grieve their loss. People can leave flowers on their sibling’s grave, or honor him/her in some other way. After all, this holiday is about honoring the sibling relationship no matter what.