Sister Dynamics
By Nieve Cavanagh
Edited by Anna Kate Mereness
Girls around the world know how important it is to have tight-knit relationships with other girls: your BFF, your ride-or-die, your twin flame. But only a select group of girls gets to understand the complex relationship of having a sister.
If you do not have a sister, you may think a sister is just like a brother — a sibling in your family you grew up with. Anyone with a sister would tell you this is the furthest thing from the truth. A sister shapes who you are. A sister is an appendage, a continuation of who you are. A sister is like a cyst: No matter how hard you try to get rid of it, it comes back, kind of like you are meant to live life together.
Now, I know this is a disgusting analogy, but hear me out. It’s fitting because sisterhood can be pretty uncomfortable at times. A sister is often the first person to call you out, the last person to give you credit and the one who will never admit you’re right in an argument. But that’s what makes the relationship so special. Beneath all the teasing, honesty and occasional disagreements is a love that never wavers.
You can trust your sister to tell you the truth, even when it’s not what you want to hear, because she cares too much about you to let you settle for anything less than your best. This relationship sets the foundation for the other relationships a girl will have throughout her life. Having a sister teaches you what it means to show up for someone, stand by them through anything and love them even when they drive you crazy. Maybe that’s why girls with sisters are so quick to recognize a shady friend. When you grow up with someone who knows you inside and out, you learn the difference between someone who simply says they care and someone who proves it.
Sister dynamics come in many different combinations: multiple sisters, twin sisters, stepsisters, etc. But I can only speak from my experience as a younger sister.
My sister and I are two and a half years apart. Growing up, she always felt much older than me. Since she was 5, she has acted like she was 35 with two kids and a mortgage. We now joke that I had three parents: my mom, my dad and Clare. Despite this, we were best friends. We played together all day, and when it was time to go to bed, we would both climb into the bottom of her bunk bed together, even though we had our own rooms.
As we continued to grow up together, we faced many challenges, from being inseparable to not speaking for a few days. No friendship or romantic relationship could ever survive the trials of a sister relationship, and I say this with the utmost confidence.
That’s what makes it so special. In a life full of unknowns and hardships, girls with sisters have the upper hand. We have someone consistent. A cheerleader through it all.
This isn’t a piece to make those without sisters feel confused or left out. Think of it more as a public service announcement: Don’t ever try to come between a girl and her sister.
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