Sister. So much depth in one little word. They’ll steal your clothes, embarrass you in public, and drive you crazy. But you love them unconditionally and couldn’t imagine life without them.
Here are a couple of things you’ll definitely relate to if you have a kind-hearted, sassy, and sometimes mischievous sis:
“Can I hang out with your friends?”
When I was young, I would grab onto my sister’s leg and beg her to let me hang out with her and her friends. And if she said no—which was 99% of the time—, I would run to my mom, cry, and then my sister would have to (angrily) budge. All I wanted was to be included, and as annoying as that was for her, we realize now that it all came from a place of love…*awwwwww*. It was always my dream to hang out with the ‘older, cool kids’, until it was her dream to hang out with the ‘younger, cool kids’ (AKA, me and my friends in my early 20s). My sister and I are almost five years apart, but this age gap doesn’t seem as big as it used to. And now, we hang out with each other’s friends (mostly her with mine, but anyway), we go out, and we enjoy each other’s company. However, she tends to want to go home after the first bar and gets hungover from 2 glasses of wine. Oh, the joys of getting older… I guess?
Hand-me-ups?
Once I started buying my own clothes (and moving away from Aeropostale and Justice), my sister began storming into my room and wearing my clothes, and not the other way around. The amount of times I’ve googled “How to Sibling Proof Your Room” is beyond me (the link is there if some of you are still struggling… I got you). My sister has perfectly acceptable clothes of her own, yet she‘ll always find a reason to ‘shop’ in my closet. To be honest though, I’ve gotten used to it. And as long as she doesn’t spill, tear or lose my clothing items, she’s welcome to take (with permission) whatever she wants. Plus, it feels kind of good knowing that I’ve got cuter tops… woot woot!
You communicate without even saying a word.
If you have an older sister, you understand ‘the stare’ very well. The stare could mean “Another glass?”, “Who invited this family member?”, “Do not say what you’re about to say right now”, and so much more. The looks. Oh, if they could kill. You and your sister have been learning how to understand each other’s body language and facial expressions for years, maybe even decades, so you’ve become pros to say the least. No one ‘gets’ you quite like your sis does. And that’s what makes your bond so special.
There are shockingly fewer (and worse) baby photos of me than there are of her.
I get it, she was the first born, was cuter, more photogenic, had more hair… whatever. Baby photos of my sister look like this: she’s six months old, two elastics around her *full* head of hair, dressed up in the cutest onesie of LIFE, sitting in the middle of a field, on a flower picnic blanket, holding a couple of fluffy dandelions. Baby photos of me look like this: I’m two years old, wearing a t-shirt, no pants, one sock, one finger is in my ear and the other in my nose, and I have pen ink all over my forehead. I really wish I was kidding about this. Is this a universal thing, or was I just an ugly baby? Either way, I really do feel like it’s the older one that usually fills up more of the photo albums.
She’ll always think of you as her baby sister.
Even when you’re in your 20s, your older sis will always see you as the 5 year-old who would beg her to play Barbies for hours on end. This one can be hard to grapple with sometimes, especially when you know you’ve aged, but you still seem like the ‘little sibling’ to them. Whether they check in on you after they know you’ve had a long night or can’t fathom that you live alone and have certain responsibilities, your life boils down to the fact that you’ll always be, in their eyes, the sweet baby sister. Period.
She will always have your back.
My sister is very bold, to say the least. She tells you exactly how she feels, and often times doesn’t even have to say a word for you to know what she’s thinking. But that’s why I love her. My sister has always been my protector. From standing up to my bullies for me, to guiding me through the stress of university, my sister has always had my back. And she always will. If you have a sister, you’ll most likely never have to struggle on your own (not even if you want to).
If this article made you think about your sibling at least once, make sure to let them know. Sibling relationships can be tough, but they’re so special.