When I saw Mama Kat’s list of prompts in my inbox this week, I was immediately drawn to this one:
“Ask a sibling or close friend to guest post on your blog for a day. Have them share a story about you that we might not have heard before.”
I’ve never hosted a guest blogger, mostly because I blog by the seat of my pants and am terrible at planning and scheduling. But I knew I had to ask a special person to share a few childhood stories with you.
That person is my little sister. She’s three years younger than me, and I was not thrilled when she arrived on this earth. She wasn’t particularly taken with me either, and we spent the 14 or so years we lived under the same roof alternating between brutal battles and shaky truces.
We were just so different.
As adults, we’ve come to accept and even embrace our differences. I know that I can trust her and rely on her to do things I cannot. I appreciate the effort she puts into our relationship, like when she drove overnight 736 miles with an infant of her own, just to meet my son, who, in a hilarious twist of fate, looks just like her.
My sister is smart, witty and she tells it like it is. Cindi, thanks for taking time out of your hectic evening to tattle on me to the Internet. I’m glad we have each other.
*****
Growing up with a sister you’re going to have the usual fights. But when you grow up with my sister, it’s not a “usual” fight.
Looking back now I can laugh, because she was creative when she decided to get back at me. A few stick out as my favorites.
There’s the time when I was in first grade and woke up from a nap to discover she had tied me to the bed with a jump rope. She wouldn’t untie me until my mom was driving up at home.
Then there’s the time she got mad at me for messing with her stuff and rearranged my whole room while I was over at a friend’s house.
But the best one and the one we both laugh about was when she wrote “BOO” on the bathroom mirror in hairspray so when I got out of the shower the fog made the word appear. I remember screaming and running out of the bathroom. Boy, was I mad.
My sister is not someone you want to cross. But later in life she has gone to bat for me several times. She’s always helped with my kids and been the most awesome aunt ever! She’s always there to let me “vent” when I’m mad. And she has become quite good at calming me down when I’m on a tear. So I have to say she has more than made up for being mean to me as a kid.
*****
As an added bonus, here’s a letter my sister wrote to me when we were teenagers. My mom kept it in my baby book, and I’m so glad she did.
HA! Love the letter. Seven pieces of clothing?! Julie, how could you.
It sounds like you two had…erm….not much fun. BUT, you’ve both grown up and have an appreciation for each other.
Also, as soon as I saw that first picture, I thought Monkey looks JUST like Cindi did back then. Heehee!
Right?! Six I could have gotten away with. But SEVEN? And her makeup?
We weren’t always at each others’ throats, but we did fight A LOT. Once, when I was about, oh, 19 or so, we actually got in a physical fight. My mom just left the room. And you know what? We started to get along a lot better after that. Maybe we just needed to be thrown in the ring together?
I love the easter pic of us. And your friend is right, monkey does look like me. I love that he’s my mini me! This was fun. Thanks for letting me guest blog
I remember the day we took those pics. We ate lunch at a Woolworth’s lunch counter while mom put makeup on us. She was sending pics to Texas.
I think it is crazy how much he looks like you. Especially that pic when you’re about 14 months old? Add dimples and cut the hair and it’s him.
Thank you for guest blogging. Next time we’ll tell the story of how you snuck in the window at 4 am and got caught.
Well I only got caught because you told on me! And other people told too. But you started the tattling spree. Lol. It is a funny story now that I’m older. Man, I will hurt my kids if they ever do the stuff I did!
Man! I always knew it would’ve been more fun to have a sister. My brother never wrote me a note about stealing makeup! And your baby looks just like her!
It was drama from birth til adulthood. But it is indescribably great to have her now. To have someone to call and share that thought I just can’t tell anyone else. To have another generation of our own to spoil and love. And GAH, right? He looks JUST like her. I wonder if he’ll write me letters when he’s older?
i am eleven years older than my brother.
i think i may have tortured him as a child
You made him a better person, I’m sure.
My sister and I are three years apart to. Oh, the battles we fought!
We were not as inventive as you were though. The mirror joke is awesome!
I have always been proud of that one! My mom tells me all the childrearing books she read back then said 3 years was the perfect age difference. PSH. Perfect for World War III!
Oh, the letter! “That is not right or fair” – I was a righteous little shit like this too
Great post. Sisters are the best. I’m kind of sad I had one kid of each gender sometimes so neither of them will ever know a brother-brother or sister-sister relationship. They can still get their fight on though
Sisters do not seem to be the best when you are kids, that’s for sure! I wanted a brother so bad. But now, I’m really glad to have her.
The letter really makes the whole thing! I love it. I kind of wish I’d had a sister. I’m lucky to have an awesome sister-in-law now. I’m now going back and forth between wanting to tell my oldest about that Boo trick so she can try it out and knowing that would be really mean to the other kid. So maybe I should tell the middle girl about it instead.
You are indeed lucky! There’s nothing like sisterhood, be it moments of loathing or moments of love. The BOO trick is awesome. For real, cause even if they lock the door when they shower, like my sister always did, it shows up. It scared the CRAP out of her.
P.S. I like your new blog look, too.
Thanks, Katie! It’s just one from WP dot com. One day, I’ll grow up and become self hosted. Or not, either way.
I was just thinking how much she looks like Monkey and then you said it. It’s amazing! I hope you’ve stopped tying her to beds and are leaving her clothing and makeup alone. But I love the Boo on the mirror trick…I’m totally stealing that one!
She totally steals my stuff now. Shoes? I never take them off at her house otherwise they’re gone.
Sibling love is special. I’m glad you have each other
I’m glad we realized how lucky we were before we got too old to enjoy each other!
I was looking at the picture thinking, wait a minute, that child in it looks like YOUR son. And then you went and said it, haha!
Hah, great tricks. I wish I was that creative when I was younger, getting back at my sister for her many ‘infractions’. We’re best friends now
My husband refuses to see the similarities. He thinks the Monkey looks just like him. And, ok, he does, but it’s weird how he looks like both of them.
It IS weird!! Regardless, Monkey is CUTENESS personified.
Holy smokes they do look exactly alike!!!
Glad y’all have a good relationship!
Crazy right? And me too.
The sister thing is complicated. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t wonderful. Great post!
Extremely complicated at times! Not like brothers who can just smack each other around in the driveway and be cool. Thanks for stopping by!
I haven’t taken your shoes in a long time.
Because I never take them off my feet in your presence, and if I do I make sure to hide them up high where you can’t reach.
Is that where you hide the good shoes? Well I will have to bring my step ladder next time I visit!
I love your tricks! (Only because they were pulled on me.) I’ve done similar stuff to my brother and sister too. It’s an older child’s right, isn’t it?
I think so! If you have to share your parents, there is hazing to be done on new recruits.
It sounds like you’ve really grown to appreciate each other! Now I am feeling thankful that my next youngest sister is a decade younger than me…
I bet that comes with its own unique challenges!
I have a younger sister who is my best friend, basically – missing her is the hardest thing about living overseas. Our fights as children were epic – and we are each the absolute best at getting under one another’s adult skins but mostly? Mostly we just kind of save each other’s lives on a regular basis, in big ways and small.
I’ve loved this comment all week and all weekend, and thought about it constantly. That’s what family is all about, for sure. Saving each others lives.
I cried when I read this the first time. Then I tried to respond 3 different times on my i phone. And when I would get to the send button, I got an error message that basically said, “Neener,neener, I ate your message and you can’t stop me”. Memories flooded my mind from y’all’s childhood and I relived those wars that went on from birth to about 27. It is so precious to see you both now. Your mom and I fought like that when we were young (even lapsed into it a time or two when we got old) but we are amazingly close now and I am so glad. It is very cool that you have both crossed over to full blown adults and even more cool that you have each other. Love to you both.
OKay, it was not meant to be. The previous post was actually about your previous blog. With all the trouble I was having with it I wanted to give it one last try so I didn’t read the blog, I just posted. GAH (that is what you say when you are beyond frustrated and can’t do anything right and your intention was really good but all these mistakes just ruined it, right?)! I love your blogs, and your guest blog. Mostly, I love you, and our whole darn family!
You’re so funny. Really, you can text me, you don’t have to comment if it’s giving you fits. Sometimes it’s a pain!
Love it! It definitely sounds like y’all growing up together was some kind of adventure. Writing “BOO” on the mirror, hilarious! Great that y’all are closer now and can laugh at all the old antics.
One day, she’ll BOO her kids. I just know it.
Ha! I love that you tied her to the bed! That is so funny. It probably wasn’t funny at the time, but it made me giggle. Sisters are a funny thing. We either love each other or hate each other, or torture each other! Great post!
Thanks! I got in SO much trouble. But she deserved it. She totally did.
Fantastic stories. And I love the photographs, they put a smile on my face.
xx
I enjoyed looking back through them as well. Blogging gives you gifts like that sometimes.
Oh how I love a good sister post. Mine is 16 months younger than I am and we have a letter or two saved (from when I went to outdoor school for a week in fifth grade and when I first went away to college).
We fought like rabid dogs (and I would borrow her clothes and stain them and put them back in the closet. Shhhh…..) but in the end of it all, we loved each other even more fiercely.
She’s pretty much forgiven me for most of my sins and she was perfect so there was nothing to forgive. (Not really, but I’m afraid she might read this and kick my ass. She’s 5 ‘ 10!)
For us, it was and is a love like no other relationship. My first best friend.
Yep. That’s right, Mom. She started it.
Wow, you guys are close in age. It’s funny that you’re just a teensy bit scared of her though. C’mon, you must have some good dirt on her!
LOL Sounds like some of the things my siblings and I did. Stopping by from Mama Kat’s!
Hi Bridget! Thanks for stopping over. I believe we torture each other growing up so we can have stories to tell our kids over dinner.
Sounds about right!
I thought it was bad having a sister SIX years younger than me!!! So glad you’ve made peace with your differences and embraced them overall. Almost makes me want my sister to write an entry for me!
Six years! I can’t imagine from a parent standpoint starting over after six years. Those baby years either need to come all at once or immediately consecutively! I’d be interested to see what your sister would say!
Both of my siblings were a lot younger then me (9 and 11 years younger) so I never got to experience some of these fun things. Now I can say I lived vicariously through you. =)
Thanks for stopping by my blog from Mama Kat’s!
Oh, to not be able to torture younger siblings. So sad!
I can only imagine how fun it was to grow up with you Julie.
I detect a hint of sarcasm, Jessica.