What It Means to Be Your Sister: Pt. 2

2-1-12

Lauren,

So today I'm going to talk a little bit more about what I think it means to be someone's sister, and in particular, your sister.  Last time I said it was about setting an example for you.  I think that is a common principle when someone thinks about what it means to be an older sibling.  But I also think it's about paving the way for you.  As children, we often look up to our parents to pave the way for us to do things in life, both as children and later as adults.  And I think this concept goes hand in hand with setting an example, too.  But as an older sister, I think in a way it is my responsibility as well to pave the way for you.

In our immediate family I was the first one to finish my college career.  While I'm setting an example for you, I'm also paving the way for you to do the same thing.  When you're the first one to do something, sometimes it's hard to make to even make that initiative to do it in the first place.  Things like fear of failure, and fear of the unknown would both make it hard for someone to try something new. I was definitely scared when I went to college.  Mom and Dad, despite taking a few college classes, didn't know much about what it took to be a full time student in college, and so it was up to me to do it on my own.  In that particular situation, I hope I took away that initial fear that I was talking about so that you won't be as afraid to try college one day.

There are other ways I have paved the way for you as your older sister.  Chrysta has as well, too.  I was the first to get my driver's license out of the three of us.  Chrysta, although the situation was stressful, was the first to move out of the house.  She was also the first of us to have a child.  There are many things that we have done so that hopefully one day you can experience them, too. 

So what does it mean to be your sister? It means a lot of things.  So far I've covered setting an example, and paving the way for you do to and experiencing things in life.  There are plenty of other things, too, that I haven't even thought of yet, so when I do think of them, I'll make sure to share.

Love,

Meghan