Quarantine during the Coronavirus pandemic means spending as much time as you can inside, but it also means spending more time with family members. As someone with an older sister, I definitely understand the struggle of having a sibling — having the urge to rip out their hair one minute, and then wanting to watch a movie together the next. Spending all of this time together inside during the last three months has really strengthened our bond, but it also created some new problems. Being in the same space for twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, and four weeks a month with anyone in general can be extremely difficult, and anyone with a sibling would agree with that.  

Some of us usually do not live with our siblings because they’ve gone off to college, or have moved out, so experiencing this major change can certainly require adjusting. “My oldest brother didn’t live with us prior to quarantine, so having him back home was a lot more comforting, and we got to spend more time together without bothering each other,” said Samama Moontaha ’21. Whenever one spends more time with someone and is around them more, there is a stronger bond that is built between them. “I feel like we can now depend and rely on each other much more than we would have before quarantine brought us together,” said Moontaha.

Like Moontaha, Yvonne Fong ’22 has also felt an increased bond between her and her siblings. Fong and her two younger twin sisters spend a lot more time together now than ever before. Fong helps them with their online learning, and they like to watch Netflix together. She also has a baby sister who is beginning to trust her more, after their “relationship degenerated quite a lot due to getting back surgery over the summer.”

There is a common theme of trust growing between siblings during quarantine, and for Aliya Fisher ’22, it’s no different. Quarantine is helping her to mend her relationship with her older brother in college. “There’s definitely a disconnect between us that wasn’t previously obvious,” said Fisher. She realized how much they’ve grown apart since he went to college and how little they seem to know about each other. “[Through this quarantine], I get to talk to someone who is separate from most of my life but is also close in age to me,” said Fisher. 

Like everything in life, positives always come with negatives, and sibling relationships are no exception. The invasion of personal space and privacy, and also being around your sibling too much without any escapes can be difficult to handle. Personal space is extremely valuable, and it is something that we all need in our lives, but now it’s becoming more difficult to attain.

 “I’m tired of my brother, and he annoys me so much that I’m starting to go insane,” said Moontaha. Quarantine is not helping the case at all, and I feel like he’s getting less tolerable.” She and her brothers seem to always be yelling at each other now, and having many disagreements. “We are always [making each other upset]  just by speaking or looking at each other,” said Alexander Burnett ’20.

I can relate to this feeling. My sister and I are constantly arguing now over every tiny little thing, whether it’s about turning off the lights, who ate the last chocolate bar, or simply just looking at each other. Her behaviors are difficult for me to deal with on a daily basis. With quarantine, there is also a loss of personal space. “There seems to be less privacy, as we have more free time, and we have to spend it around each other, since we can’t go outside,” said Fong. Being around someone constantly can be irritating in general, and this pandemic has definitely accentuated that annoyance. 

Thanks to the Coronavirus pandemic, we are constantly surrounded by our siblings. This can be both a good and bad thing, depending on how we view it. Sometimes we might ignore our siblings, be forced to interact, or even end up having deep conversations in the middle of the night. Difficulties aside, it is evident that some Bronx Science students have created new-found bonds with their siblings. As irritating as siblings can be, they liven the situation, and bring joy and laughter to our lives. Even if they annoy you, they will always be someone you can trust and count on to be there for you. 

“You will begin to recognize some habits and behaviors that you wouldn’t have noticed before, and build a stronger bond overall,” said Tiffany Zheng ’23.

Being in the same space for twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, and four weeks a month with anyone in general can be extremely difficult, and anyone with a sibling would agree with that.