As a child, I didn’t follow in my sisters’ footsteps, I ran screaming in the other direction.
It was clear from the beginning how different we were from one another. She liked dirt biking and I pretended to. Her room was messy and mine was clean. She listened to the Spice Girls while I pretended to be them when nobody was around. She liked sauerkraut and the word alone made me want to throw up. It still does.
The times we got along were few and far between. I was convinced that I would despise my sister for the remainder of my lifetime, but the 15-year-old me was naive.
The bond between siblings is a strange one. It’s like we have two purposes – make one another’s life a living hell but have each other’s backs – it doesn’t make sense. The relationship with my sister was exactly that.
She was an arch-enemy, a living nightmare but also my big sister. I adored her but that was top secret, so instead, I made it my rightful duty to annoy her. However, the dynamic of our relationship has changed over time.
As we grew older, we became more alike.
Many of our characteristics are in fact, the same. Like our laugh, a disgustingly annoying cackle that comes out when something is really funny. Our laugh coincides with our sense of humour. It’s dark but I promise it’s entertaining. We even have the same dance moves but my sister will never admit it.
We eventually let go of the little things that drove us mad – stealing belongings, sneaking into each other’s bedrooms, tattling – the list goes on. The little things become memories and a reason to laugh.
Perhaps the key to bonding with your siblings is distance. We are separated by hundreds of miles and aren’t able to physically see each other for most days of the year, but I feel more connected to my sister than ever. We can go for long periods without a text message or talk every single day – regardless I know she is there for me.
I read somewhere that it is the bad times that bring siblings closer together. If that is true, I am glad for those bad times. It’s funny to think as children we’re deadset on a siblingless future, once we become adults and can make those decisions. Now, an adult, I don’t know what I would do without my siblings. I should mention, the number of siblings has grown. It is no longer my sister and I.
I am no longer the youngest but now one of the oldest.
The point is that siblings can be the absolute worst but when all is said and done, your siblings are the ones who’ve got your back no matter what.
And would I take anything back? Absolutely not. Okay, maybe the one time I put ketchup in her chocolate milk.
