Sisters

sisters 3I was born smack dab in the middle of two brothers. I was always begging my parents for a little sister. From age four until pre-teen, it was my annual birthday wish every time I blew out cake candles. I think I even made my plea to Santa, a time or two, during the holidays.
So when the doctors, nurses, and my husband all shouted, “It’s a girl again” after the birth of my second child…I did back-flips in my mind. I reached for my baby immediately and while holding her for the first time, I got understandably emotional. I teared up a bit and admitted out loud that I had really wanted a girl. Two daughters meant sisters and that was incredible to me.
My husband and I have always chosen to be surprised regarding finding out the sex of our babies. During my second pregnancy, I played the whole game of saying I just wanted a healthy newborn (which of course,  I was constantly praying for), but privately I was always a bit 51% wishing for a girl and 49% content with a boy. I just really wanted to experience this whole sisterhood thing, even if it was from the sidelines as a mother.
My two girls are so fun. They dress-up like princess fairies together and tell each other stories. My daughters love playing go-fish, producing one-act plays, and mothering their little brother to death. So far in life, they are pretty great partners.
I know I am insanely blessed because the vast majority of the time they really do get along well together. Of course, there are disagreements and times of frustration. It is hard packing all those female hormones into a two year, four month age gap. However, they make a good habit of frequently being loving and kind to each other. Those sweet interactions make me melt and cry, before I proceed to giggle at myself and finally just smile with contentment.sisters 1
Currently my five-year-old and seven-year-old daughters sleep in the same bedroom. I think sharing rooms with a sibling builds a lot of character, or at least that is my strongest defense because I don’t want to tackle finding a new home for the treadmill in our guestroom. The girls talk too much at night and tell goofy jokes. Some evenings I quietly stand outside their door, after the lights have been turned off for bedtime, and just listen to the tales they tell each other. My oldest often talks about her classmates and her little sister frequently brags about where we went for lunch on a given day. They ask each other questions like: If you were an animal, what kind would you be? or Do you think you could ride your bike around the world?
I just love the fact that they are going to always have each other. Another close female family member, who isn’t their mom, to go through childhood, puberty, and beyond. Sisters can huddle up while brushing their teeth or eating a snack at home, and discuss cute neighbor boys, annoying homework assignments, playground gossip, and broken hearts.
Being sisters means they can always find each other when they are being bullied or need a tampon. When one of them is mad at me or their dad, they can go find their sister and bask in the ability to easily vent to someone who also gets mad at the same two parents. Being sisters allows them to join forces and be bitter together.
In the future they will be able to reminisce about days with grandparents and all the horrible clothes I made them wear. Right now they like how I style their hair, but the constant bangs in a little pony-tail to the side of the face is going to come back to haunt me, I just know it.
I am prepared for the times ahead, when my two girls are not constant best friends. It already happens on occasion. However, sibling code dictates that you forgive and forget quickly. Stomping feet and raised voices are inevitable when two young girls need their space. My second-grader sometimes just wants to read, while her little sister keeps interrupting and begging her to play. Other times my five-year-old does not have the patience to hear her big sister’s required background plot before starting a game of spies.
sisters danceOnce our family was at a wedding reception. There were a lot of kids at the dance hall. It was a fun, small town wedding. But it wasn’t our small town, so my kids did not know any of the other youngsters who obviously attended the same school or lived right by each other. My older daughter was struggling because she wanted to play with the groups of kids, but felt self-conscious. Her little sister was busy dancing to her own tune and doing a solo number in front of the DJ. The other children were not being mean to my kids, but they were too busy having fun and getting a sugar high from the cake mints to introduce themselves. It was a dilemma, that left my oldest sitting at a table with a bunch of chatty adults.
I pulled her aside and listened to the problem. She wanted to have fun, but just wished she had some friends at the reception. I turned her head and pointed towards my other daughter who was dancing and laughing and having the best time. “There is your friend for life”, I told her. I went on to give her a big pep talk about being so lucky to have a sister and a partner in crime at these types of events. She wiped her eyes, blew her nose, and ran over to her sister. They started playing dance party and having contests. Pretty soon a few other kids joined them, as well as some adults. It was hilarious and adorable.
I am thankful every single day that I get to be a mom, especially a mom with two daughters. It gives me a front row seat to the whole sister experience that I never had as a child. Raising sisters means that my girls will have an automatic maid of honor (if they want). It also means they have a confidant and potential alibi for breaking curfew in their teenage years.
sisters 4Their futures may take them in different directions and leave them miles apart, but distance does not alter blood lines (or the numerous baths they have taken together). They will always be family, and they will always have a bond. So when the day comes, hopefully in the very very VERY distant future, when I am not around to be their mother; it feels really good to know they each have a sister to take my place.

2 thoughts on “Sisters

  • April 4, 2016 at 12:42 pm
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    These sisters make for great granddaughters.

    Reply
  • April 4, 2016 at 10:13 pm
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    Ok now I feel the need to call my sister 🙂

    Reply

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