The Ties That Bind

Erica E. Goode once said, ~Sibling relationships...outlast marriages, survive the death of parents, resurface after quarrels that would end any friendship. They flourish in a thousand incarnations of closeness, distance, warmth, loyalty and distrust.~ The bond between siblings is a strong one because no matter how annoying one becomes he or she will always be there to have your back. Other than our best friends who would know us better than our own brother and/or sister whose initial job is to torment us or vice versa. In a way, it's like having a houseguest who never really leaves the house and although you try to get rid of that person you are stuck with him or her......unless you're an only child.

The one thing that is scary to a sibling is his or her bedroom. In some aspect, it's a safe haven where a person can express their own personality. Yet, it's hard to do that when you share a room with a brother and/or a sister that has several annoying habits and will drive you crazy. We've all at some point, in our younger days, had to share a room with a sibling that you somewhat tolerated. Being temporary or permanent roommates you find out what type of person your brother and/or sister is, which is a slob or a neat freak; somewhat compared to that popular television show The Odd Couple. It can be a comical situation as two people with totally different personalities try to coexist in a small enclosed space and hopefully not kill each other in the process.

Let me ask you this question, what type of relationship do you have with your brother(s) and/or sister(s)? Depending on how many siblings one has and the brother to sister ratio, added with that the bathroom or food situation it be considered survival of the fittest. I don't know the about the relationship between sisters, but a relationship between brothers is often filled torture and scars which result in battles that have either been won or lost. Personally speaking, my younger brother and I have had our battles, but it really hasn't come to hand to hand combat in years. It's just a matter of having respect for each other even though at times you just want to know his or her block off.

Like it's been said before, other than our friends who know us better than our very own siblings. Whether you are the youngest or oldest, it's an absolute that a brother and/or a sister will be there to cut you down to size. If you think about it, he or she can bring you back to reality when your ego can get out of hand. In a way, it's like having your very own conscience living with you because in a snap of a finger they will slap you upside the head and tell you what they really think of you, but in a loving way. Essentially, it's that same brother and/or sister that even though he or she can make one's life a living nightmare, that person will absolutely be at your side when times of strife occur.

In retrospect, when you look back at your childhood, was it a relationship of distance or closeness? Let me ask you this, when was the last time you talked to your brother and/or sister on a personal level and asked how he or she is doing? As we grow older, we tend to drift away from the one person that absolutely knows us inside and out. When each of us lose the unbreakable common bond that holds siblings together, we lose certain pieces of the puzzle that keep it incomplete and in turn, a rift is formed. Ultimately, it's the blood that siblings share and run through their veins will forever be the ties that bind brother to brother, brother to sister, and sister to sister.