Ode to Sisters:

A sister is a little bit of childhood that can never be lost.  ~Marion C. Garretty

Sad confession:  I am a middle child with middle child syndrome.  Worse:  I am a middle sister.  So here's what it boils down to...  I have yearned for identity my whole life.  I have paled in comparison.  I wanted desperately to be someone's favorite that I became a sort of bratty-confidante.  

I remember when my older sister first got her driver's license going out driving with her and she shared little tidbits of her life.  I decided she was too good for that guy whose house we'd driven by a hundred times because he would never give her a second thought.  We weren't really close growing up though because she's 6 years older.  Now my two girls are both about 18 months younger than her two girls so we've become really close over the last few years and it's been so great.  She is "the perfect older sister."  

Sisters is probably the most competitive relationship within the family, but once the sisters are grown, it becomes the strongest relationship.  ~Margaret Mead

My brother and I never had our 'downs' but we had our 'ups' and our lulls.  My brother is a writer.  In his mind is a never-ending story.  I remember reading fantasy books that he loved just so I'd have something to talk to him about.  He let me read some of the stories he had written and I was in awe that anyone's mind could work like that.  He's the kind of brother that hides in the background of 3 strong sisters, but when you get a look into his mind or his heart you realize there's nothing faded about it.  (Sorry to leave Nick out of this post from here on out).

Now my relationship with Kaleena is very different.  I am 3 years older than her but people wanted us to be twins.  We got twin gifts, we were constantly being confused for one another, we shared EVERYTHING including a room until I was 12.  I knew when we were little that she wanted to BE me.  I hated it.  I felt like I needed an identity and sharing one with my little sister was not going to cut it.  In some ways we played really well together.  No one got our games.  I never had to explain our make-believe world to her.  We both just got it.  So the bad times could be pretty bad and the good times could be really good, the best. 

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

Once I moved out, Kaleena seemed to blossom overnight when she wasn't under my thumb and I am so impressed by how wonderful she is in spite of my influence.

Big sisters are the crab grass in the lawn of life.  ~Charles M. Schulz 

Now every day I watch the sisterhood of my girls.  There are times when I would do anything to keep them apart, to stop the fighting.  Then there are times when I want to cry because they are just the sweetest things.  Mostly I laugh because they have so much fun doing some of the craziest things.  Audrey has her days where she just wants to be left alone and Kennedy has times that she feels the need to exert some power over Audrey.  But I catch Audrey saying things like, "Kennedy, you are the best little sister.  I love you."  And I love watching Kennedy mimic everything Audrey does.   I love that she cries when we drop Audrey off at school and that Audrey begs me to let Kennedy miss a nap so they can keep playing.  Then later that day I wonder why sharing and taking turns has to be explained to them AGAIN.

Having a sister is like having a best friend you can't get rid of.  You know whatever you do, they'll still be there.  ~Amy Li

These are the times when I reflect on my own relationships with my sisters.  I tell Audrey that she has to be an example to Kennedy, not because I was one but because I had them.  I also explain to her that little sisters just want to be like their older sisters because they love them so much.  This took me 20+ years to figure out so I hope I can help her understand.