Your older sibling took every “no” from your parents first so you could hear “maybe.”

The rules you grew up under were negotiated before you arrived. Whoever went first ran into the flat refusals, argued the curfew, took the fallout that made your parents reconsider how they handled it next time. By the time you asked, the ground had already moved. That work was invisible to you, and it was not free for them.

If you have an older sibling, ask them sometime what it was like going first. If you are the older one, notice that you are probably still doing it. Either way, whoever softened the road deserves to hear that somebody noticed.