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Loading...The Sister Effect
- Ann Pietrangelo
- August 9, 2010
- 1:03 pm
- 91 comments
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As the younger sister by five years, I wanted to walk in her shoes. Literally. When I was in third grade, I was particularly fond of her black winter boots with the fake fur at mid-calf. They were about as close to the popular ‘go-go boots’ style as I ever hoped to get.
Mom was still insisting that I wear little red rubber boots that fit over my shoes, despite my protests that no other girls in my grade still wore those ‘baby’ boots. Sis’s boots were getting a little tight on her feet and I wanted them — badly.
When Sis finally had enough of the tight boots, Mom reluctantly turned them over to me, even though they were still way too big for my feet. Nevertheless, I proudly clomped off to school in them, feeling quite the fashion plate.
Unfortunately, my sister and I have spent all our adult lives separated by geography. On a recent visit, she informed me that she had some never-worn shoes that didn’t fit quite right and I was welcome to have them.
Like Cinderella after the ball, the shoes were a perfect fit and I claimed them as my own. It had been decades since I received hand-me-downs, but I was thrilled. It felt like third grade all over again.
The five years that separate us no longer matter, but the geography certainly does. We never got a chance to spend long periods of quality time together as adults. As the younger sister, I don’t know if I’ve had any kind of positive effect on her. The bonds we share are largely the bonds of childhood, with precious few adulthood memories of the sisterly sort. That childhood affection from my big sis is with me still; no study necessary.
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Read more: Children, Family, Health, Love, Mental Wellness, Relationships, affection, childhood, relationships, siblings, sisters
Ann Pietrangelo
Ann Pietrangelo is the author of No More Secs! Living, Laughing & Loving Despite Multiple Sclerosis. She is a member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors and a regular contributor to Care2 Healthy & Green Living and Care2 Causes. Follow on Twitter @AnnPietrangelo
Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may
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people are talking
And pardon my French, but Monsanto is truly EVIL incarnate.
Thanks.
Good advise, but sometimes difficult to follow, thanks.
hmmmm....nice.Tyvm
very informative.
91 comments
+ add your ownBig sisters holding little sisters protectively...is not instinctual...unless it's about breed, and we need to allow for LARGE variations is what big sisters do to little sisters 'per breed'...lol...
But thank you very very much for sharing a positive experience with the lot of us.
I'm glad you have that experience to look back on. Awesomeness! :-)
Blessings,
anu
jewel s- i have 2 sisters, one 2 and a half years older, one 6 years younger. we're adults now (im 32), and the two of them are best friends, and i have almost no communication with the other 2. that's also heartbreaking. we live w/in 30 miles of eachother.
my best friend sabrina is my sister. she was an only child growing up, but she's the sister i need. you can find what you need as an adult, and appreciate the family you have, for better or for worse.
I have two brothers and they just could not give a darn. It is hard and I am learning to accept. It is one of the hardest things to accept. I really wish I had a sister growing up but it doesn't guarantee a close bond. I felt like I was mourning the absence of a sister while reading this.
I am the oldest in my family. My sister is 7 years younger than me. When we were kids, i was just the protective big sister. Now we are best friends. I have always been there for her, and she has always been there for me
What a wonderful story about sisters! I would have loved to have had a loving relationship with my only sibling, a sister nine years older. I adored her. She never reciprocated. She died near Christmas 2005 and left instructions that no one was to tell me (so I couldn't go to her memorial service)! I have an "unfinished" feeling sometimes and I think I'll talk with someone even though I have handled it pretty well all things considered. It's just that I have FMS plus I had three huge surgeries within 18 months (one was breast cancer) not too long before her end. No one came to me despite my closeness with my nieces and nephews when they were babies to young adults. One niece is nearby and is silent. I miss her (like she was when we were younger).
I hope no one ever has this kind of relationship. All I ever wanted was for her to just love me and accept me as I was. But I know it was not my fault and probably not hers. Emotional and/or mental problems wreak havoc and sometimes we just cannot bridge the canyons between us and our siblings.
I'm an older sister and a younger sister :)
Aw, what a nice little article! I love having sisters :)
My sister got spoiled. I'm probably one of the most protective big sisters of all time.
This makes me remember my 7 years old sister. She is rather naughty and often says that she doesn't love me. But it's not true. She usually holds my hand when she sleeps. And she can never sleep without me. :)
i'm so sorry Nancy S. you experience was so bad but do remember that not all sibling relationship are like that and even with the ups and downs more often they are healthly positive ones.
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