Being a sibling can be tough, especially when you're growing up. You have to share everything, fight for attention and worst of all, have all of your achievements measured by that of your brothers and sisters. Even when your parents are nice enough not to pick favorites, it can be tough when it feels like you've grown into the black sheep rather than the golden child.
It gets even more difficult if you have a sibling that is an overachiever. Having a sister who's an Olympic medallist must have its perks, but feeling proud of yourself isn't necessarily one of them. This seemed to be understood by Cindy Kocian, who tried her best to celebrate both her kids in an Instagram post a few years ago. In the caption, she claimed she was proud of her son for starting his junior year in high school, and her daughter Madison for winning silver and gold at the 2016 Olympics.
While her pride in both her kids is touching, when the post had a resurgence on Twitter recently some people were skeptical of her equal opportunities approach. While some felt sorry for Madison's brother, others compared the situation to that of their own families, where their dismissal in favor of a more successful sibling can be both humorous and painful. Clearly, there's no easy way to balance out the accomplishments made by different family members, but kudos to Cindy for trying.
