" If you don't understand how a woman could both love her sister dearly and want to wring her neck at the same time, then you were probably an only child." Linda Sunshine
This has always been one of my favorite sister quotes ever because it is so real and true. Growing up with sisters means oversharing, laughing, and a whole lot of fighting. As hard as you love them, is as hard as you fight them, however you are always there to help each other even when you don't agree. At a very young age, you learn teamwork, how to share, how to deal when you don't get what you want and the art of patience. The biggest lesson learned from my sisters is unconditional love. No matter how much I do not like them at times, I ALWAYS love them. Nothing or no one gets in the way of that, even though I am sure there are times it hasn't always felt like that. Sibling relationships are forever, no matter what issues there are. In my opinion, they are some of the most important roots that we and our children need.
In my life I am surrounded by a lot of women, which is kind of funny. My inner circle would probably tell you I am not a girl's girl, but in fairness neither are the majority of them. I was raised in an estrogen dominate environment. I was raised among my grandmothers, lots of great aunts, aunts, my mother, my sisters and lots and lots of cousins. In my household it was my poor father, my mother, myself, and my two younger sisters. We were a tight knit group. I am the oldest of the sisters, there is a three year age gap between myself and my middle sister and a six year age gap between myself and my youngest sister. Being the oldest sometimes comes with a lot of pressure. I am always their biggest fan and I am happy and proud of all their highs, but then sometimes feel responsibility and blame for their lows. As the older sister growing up, I was always expected to be the responsible one, the more mature one, the one that "knew better". It was my job to set a good example for them. As life threw us some twists and turns, I sometimes felt a duty to protect them and keep them out of trouble. I hope looking back they see all I ever wanted and still want for them happiness and joy.
We all have our own unique relationship with one another. I think our relationships are ever-evolving. As sisters, we have this strange dynamic of loving each other hard, but also hating one another equally as strong. Collectively and individually we have all had our moments. When that happens, I always try to remember we are three very different people and even though we were raised in the same household together with all of the same core values and principles, we all interpret them in different ways. As those of you with sisters can imagine this can sometime lead to some pretty gnarly fights, both verbally and sometimes even physically throughout our lives. Together, we have put each other and our parents through the wringer. Even as adults we still tend to not always agree on things but despite the disagreements, we are still allies. They are my biggest supporters and my toughest critics.
I will always want what's best for my sister's and their families. I'm sure they feel the same for me and mine. I will always be in their corner, cheering them on, fighting for them or with them, and hopefully teaching them from life experience. I want them to flourish in their respective lives and be great, truly I do. I hope as we continue to age and go through this life with one another we remain by each other's side, even when we don't always agree because the best things in life are the people we love, and the memories made along the way. What's your sibling relationship like?