Tuesday 27 March 2012

Sister Sister

Here is one for you, this one is bound to split the camp. Why do female siblings seem to get away with a lot more!? Especially if they are younger than you.

I have a sister, she is 3 years younger than me. Admittedly when growing up I may have influenced some of the things that my parents considered ‘naughty’ but there was no way that I was to blame for everything! I have spoken to friends that have older sisters and they tell a pretty similar tale. When something went wrong in our house the first name I always heard called out was mine. ‘Get in here now.’ Every child has heard those words before and everyone knows what tone of voice that the command is in. It strikes fear into the heart of the child, immediately they are on the defensive. ‘What have I done?’ The brain is racking through all the things that you have done recently that could land you in hot water. You can’t think of any, ‘right let’s see what all this is about.’ You get to the scene of the crime be it a broken vase, some stolen money off the counter, an apple with a face drawn on it, and you proclaim your innocence. It wasn’t you. you know it wasn’t but you also know that it is going to be one hell of a job to convince the parents otherwise. You are guilty until proven innocent whilst your sister goes about her day without a care in the world!

When you do do something wrong (very rare I know) the punishment is harsh. Banished to your room, grounded, no tv or computer for a week. All the things that boys cherish taken away from them. It appears though when your sister is actually found guilty of something (even rarer I know), it seems a slap on the wrist and a ‘don’t do it again’ suffice. If you complain about the severity of the sentencing then you tend to land yourself in hot water again and for your troubles get yourself grounded or in your room again.

I can see to an extent the younger thing. There is always the ‘they look up to you and copy you’ line. There is no arguing this. You have no idea if they do or don’t but is your sister sees the opportunity to play along and get herself out of the sticky situation then she would be a fool not to. In saying this, that excuse cannot be used for older sisters.

Now I don’t have an older sister so I am basing this on what I have been told. When you are both young, the brother gets the blame as the sister cries and throws the blame at him. Unless they are as good a crier as their sister they have no hope, they stand there looking gormless and have to cop it on the chin, whilst they are receiving that damn annoying grin over the shoulder of their dad from their sister. As they get a bit older, then sisters find other ways. They claim that their brothers are listening in on their conversations and that they are annoying them. Then the familiar ‘Get in here’ tone comes up the stairs and off you go to face the music. This time the lecture is about giving her space, that she is older than you and needs her time and leave her alone. I have been reliably informed that when the roles are reversed and you have your first girlfriend then all your sister wants to do is know about it. Then when the complaint is made the reaction is ‘she may be able to help you’ or ‘don’t worry about it she is just messing.’ Why is this acceptable? It is not!!!

I know that people will have had very different experiences and I look forward to hearing about them. I don’t know what happens when there is a family of just 2 sisters, who gets the blame then?
That is the thought for today, tune in tomorrow for something else. Laters

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