The Intricate Paradox of Little Sisters

Quotes of the day: 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
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
[Quotes from quotegarden.com]

I am an older sister to a brother who's two years younger than I and a sister who's four years younger. My dear brother will be put on the shelf until later notice (sorry, Guy), but Julia, my lovely sister, is the subject of today's musings. Julia and I have quite a history (13 years worth, in fact) and I wanted to write down some of my favorite memories just to see how much our relationship has changed since that day 13 years ago. I still remember the day Julia was born. I was staying at my grandparents' house, and my brother and I were playing in a little baby pool when my parents pulled up. They got out of the car and called us over to see the little pink bundle that would change our lives. I, in my infinte four year old wisdom, declined politely, saying "No thanks, I'd rather just keep swimming." Since that day, though, a lot has changed. In the early days, I taught that little kid how to read, giving her a steady advantage over her peers still today, played endless games of mommy and baby (guess who was who), gave her many makeovers, and, in some ways, I think, forced her to be mature beyond her years. Through those years, we were constantly together, always experiencing the same adventures and trials. Julia copied everything I did, whether it was getting my hair cut or buying a new Barbie doll. We were so close that when I was roughly 10, we asked our parents to allow us to share a room. We begged and begged for weeks and were finally given the go ahead. Julia moved in, and we went to work painting, decorating, and making our room the ultimate sleepover location. In a room painted orange, decorated as a Hawaiian beach scene, we giggled until late in the night (which, at that time was roughly 10 PM). I convinced Julia to help me create a rotating display in one corner (think school display cases) and she happily went along with my nutty plans. After seeing how easily she was persuaded to help, I got her in on my master plan: convince our parents to let us get a hamster. Roughly $120 dollars and a month of whining later, we got Louie, who lived with us in our now periwinkle bedroom that was adorned with posters of kittens on Julia's side and a freakily large collection of calendars on mine. Notice, by this point, we had split the room into sides. I had entered into my tweens and was now finding that mini me who copied my every action and lived in the same room as me was less than cute. In fact, as I so tactfully told her, I found her downright annoying. And I hated her stupid hamster. So there. Needless to say, the next few years were filled with tension, fighting, and cold shoulders. Gone were the days that I would hang over the side of my bunk gossiping and picking out her outfits for the next day. I resented the fact that my younger self had sentenced me to this prison. Finally, the year I was a freshman in high school, we extracted permission from our parents to split. Plans moved slowly, but just in time, as I entered my sophomore year, she moved into the room next to mine and I had my own room for the first time in four years. We planned out our new rooms (seperately this time) and breathed sighs of relief. Then....it was as if somebody had flipped a switch: as soon as we were sleeping seperately again, we were friends. Slowly, cautiously, we began talking to each other about things other than how happy we would be if the other left. We got each other through my Grandma's death and she was my rock of sanity through the craziness of sophomore year. I tried to be patient with her still lagging sense of style (don't worry, she's on board now) and listened as she chronicled her endless stories of her school day. When we realized we would be sharing a room in our summer cottage, we actually embraced the idea of sharing a room again. We replayed our room planning roles from years past and had fun getting to know each other all over again. These days, Julia and I are best friends (most days). We shop together, steal each other's clothes, text each other from the room next door, crank the music, throw some crazy dance parties, and share the latest gossip on everything. I try to be the best big sister I can be, and she's always good for a laugh or some off the wall advice, depending on the day. So, here's to Julia, the best little sister this blogger could ask for. Love you, sis!

PS-I'm actually starting to believe what Mom always told us..."Wait till you grow up-your siblings will be your best friends!" :)