Reliving my childhood

I have one sister who is four years older than me. When we were kids, she was like a second mother to me, fretting over me, telling on me, generally trying to keep me in check.

We rarely got along until she went to college. She tolerated me and I did my best to annoy the shit out of her because that's part of my charm. I repeatedly asked her to wear her pink button-down Ralph Lauren Polo shirt even though she never let me (I coveted that shirt and probably asked once a week to wear it). I spied on her when her boyfriends were around. I was a pestering little sister who always wanted to be included just because I knew she didn't want to include me.

Now? She's awesome. I don't have a lot of in real life close friends but she is one of them. She's there for me whenever I want to talk. She lives 20 minutes away so getting together to have playdates is great. There are four people in my life - besides my husband - that I trust to give me good advice: Hillary, my parents and my sister.

I credit a lot of what I've done to her. She was valedictorian in high school. Her lowest grade in college was an -A. Seriously. She has a successful career in education and is raising two small, active children. I always wanted to be just as successful as she was. I always wanted my parents to be just as proud of me as I know they are of her. This is part of the reason I've worked so hard.

Watching my daughters' interaction reminds me a lot of my childhood. Peanut frets and fusses over her sister. When we were at the beach earlier this year, she got teary and yelled for us to get Gizmo away from the water even though there were four adults all within arms reach. If Gizmo does something even remotely dangerous, Peanut tries to stop her physically (like pulling her off a ladder on the playground) or yells and yells until an adult can intercede.

And Gizmo? Well Gizmo does whatever she can to annoy her sister. Taking Peanut's drink. Stealing her snacks. Snatching toys away. Tackling her for no reason.

Last week, my mother-in-law came for a visit and she asked Peanut how Gizmo was doing.
"Well, she's a hitter and a biter and a pusher," Peanut said truthfully.

But, while I know they annoy each other, there are bright spots to their relationship. If we give Gizmo a snack, she waits around until we hand her another serving and takes it directly to her sister. She cries, "Em, Em, EM!" always looking for Peanut.

They love to hug each other (even though that usually turns into a wrestling match) and they do play well together.

Hugs before Peanut's first day of pre-K today. The only picture I could get of them together.

Peanut declared one day that, "Gizmo is so cute when she's not biting me."

As they get older, they remind me more and more of my sister and me. And that? That might be one of the coolest things of being a parent. I can only hope that one day they have the relationship that I have with my sister.