I’m one of four siblings, three girls and a boy. The second oldest of the bunch, growing up as part of a small herd meant plenty of sisterly love, sibling rivalry and crazy stories that I can now recount to my friends after several glasses of wine. Here are 20 of my most favourite and loathed things about being and having a sister:
1. The ‘Don’t Talk To Me In Public‘ cooler older sister mantra that somehow still applies even in your mid-twenties.
2. You can call each other at 3 a.m. about anything in the world, and will always have the moral obligation to pick up.
3. They make family holidays either more/less bearable.
4. “What’s mine is yours” Your wardrobe will become a handy walk-in clothing outlet whenever they want an outfit.
5. “But what’s mine is mine:” Don’t expect the same policy from the older sister. That’s hers. Move along now.
6. Baking numerous trays of unedible cupcakes and brownies when you were younger together.
8. Making weird potions out of toothpaste, paprika and plenty of dirt when you were even younger. And then asking your parents to drink it. Mmm, mouthwash smoothies.
7. The older sister is a rare specimen that will furiously defend your honour to someone 50x her size, but then blank you once back insides the confines of the house.
8. Always having someone else to blame for breaking something. Always.
9. Outfit honesty: If your ass looks fat in that, trust me, you’ll know.
10. The Portable Date Test: Introducing the boyfriend to the sister as a means of evaluating the new guy in your life more thoroughly than a car having its MOT. If your sister thinks he’s a keeper, he’s probably a keeper.
11. Matching outfits. The family albums to prove it. Oh god.
12. Family members will always get your names mixed up. “SARAH-JANE, HOW ARE YOU?!” Awkward.
13. Sisters are the people that will get your birthday gift spot on. And not just because you sent them a list of exactly what you wanted – because they just know.
14. Someone that knows your dating life like the back of their hand (And they’re probably sick to their back teeth of hearing about it too).
15. Being a sister means being an unpaid servant. Younger ones usually become the slave to their older masters. “Come hither, Jeeves!”
16. Sibling rivalry – it’s inevitable. Fighting for your parents affection is like a battle to the death involving report cards, University league tables and CV success.
17. Having someone to cover for you/open the front door when you’re trying to sneak back in quietly at 5am after a night out with your friends.
18. Sisters are the best people to shop with.
19. The fight over sharing barbies as children turns to cars once you get older. “It’s my turn!” “No, MINE!”
20. The best and closest friend you could ever have. Someone to laugh, cry, scream and hug with no matter what life throws at us. What more could you ask for?
