I like to think I’m doing a good job of fostering a unique bond between my daughters. Actually, I’m very adamant that they not only love each other, but that they also be best friends.
My oldest, Olivia, will constantly complain about her little sister Julia. Whether she’s playing with one of her toys, sitting too close to her (or me), or doing something she’s not supposed to do, Olivia never misses the opportunity to complain about her little sister, like big sisters do. I understand how frustrating it can be to have to share your toys, space, and parents with someone else, but what I’m constantly reminding her whenever she complains about Julia is that that’s her sister: “She’s your sister, your best friend. You have to love her.” I remind her.
She proceeds to yank Julia off my lap so she can climb onto her seat.
“No, she’s not my best friend,” she’ll respond, and I remind her again that they are the best kind of friends.
I have a much younger, half-sister who I’m crazy about. She’s an awesome auntie who’s close to the girls, and we have a close bond with each other as well. We’re alike in a lot of ways, except she’s extremely intelligent. I get by, but she’s the genius in the family and everyone knows it. She very much looked up to me growing up and I hope that she still does. The difference is, and it’s a very big one, we didn’t grow up living together. She lived with my dad and I always lived with my mom when I was younger. We’re also 16 years apart. That’s a huge difference. If I’m being honest, we probably don’t have much in common and we’ve always been at different stages in our lives. But like any relationship worth having, we’ve made a big effort to remain close and to be a part of each other’s lives. I want my daughters to see how great having a sister can be.
Luckily, my daughters won’t have some of the challenges that my little sister and I have had. They will, undoubtedly, be spending a lot of time together. They will get tired of all the time they have to spend together, they will fight, and I will keep reminding them to love each other.
I look at my daughters and see how lucky they are to have each other. They’re only two and a half years apart and all I can see is the fun ahead of them: playing together, sharing stories and secrets, being by each other’s side. I feel like laughing just thinking of the stories they’ll keep from me and how they’ll defend each other when they’re in trouble, but isn’t that what siblings are for?
A few days ago while my mom was watching the girls she mentioned that Olivia was bragging about her sister. Julia’s just learning to pick herself up and takes a few steps at a time. Not quite walking, but getting there. Olivia said, “You got it, Julia!” and looked over at my mother and said, “I love my sister, she’s my best friend.”
