National Siblings Day – Who Knew?

Yesterday morning my Facebook newsfeed was filled with friends tagging their brothers and sisters in old photos. Apparently April 10th is National Siblings Day.

I grew up an only child in an era when it was pretty uncommon to have no siblings. Add to that growing up Catholic, and it was almost unheard of. In fact, I can’t remember any other onlies in my grade school class.

Not to be left out on National Siblings Day, I posted a photo of my favorite siblings – my daughters. But what really warmed my heart is that my twelve year old twin girls each posted to Instagram the same photo of themselves together at age 2. One added “Love you Sissy” in her caption.

The photo that I posted, a “throw back” collage, pretty accurately sums up their relationship (and probably the love/hate relationships of most siblings).

Perhaps because I’m an only, I’ve always been fascinated by sibling dynamics. I remember having a friend who was the youngest of seven. I loved going to her house and sitting quietly on a stool in her kitchen and watching the chaos. And then I loved going home to my quiet, orderly life.

No matter what their relationship, siblings have the gift of shared memories. After both my parents passed away, I realized that I alone was the keeper of my childhood memories. While I have wonderful friends and extended family, none of them shared all the inside jokes, crazy stories, and special times of my childhood.

While my daughters are very different people, I hope that they remain close throughout their lives and that they fondly remember their shared childhood experiences. Many years from now when they are grown and my husband and I are gone, I want them to have the gift of shared memories and to be able to say “remember when we…”