Life lessons you can only learn from your sister
No matter how much you might bicker, nothing compares to the joy and love that comes with having a sister. Along with being your #1 support system, a sister comes with an abundance of life knowledge that they’re more than happy to share with you — something especially necessary for any young woman just trying to make it through her daily hustle.
Whether younger or older, having a sister means you get to grow up alongside a fellow female just trying to figure out all the same things you are. Two minds are better than one, of course, and we can use all the help we can get. It should make sense, then, that sisterly advice tops our list.
Tina Fey and Amy Poehler reunite for Sisters, a new film from Pitch Perfect director Jason Moore about two disconnected sisters summoned home to clean out their childhood bedroom before their parents sell the family house. The movie is definitive proof that the best lessons in life come from your siblings, and we couldn’t be more excited to see the film when it hits theatres today, Friday December 18.
But just in case you need extra proof that your sister is a wealth of wisdom, here are just a few life lessons we learned from ours.
How to share
Whether toys, bedrooms, cars, or crushes, all siblings have to share — but having joint custody over things from an early age actually comes with some surprising long-term benefits. When you’re forced to share things, you become better at taking care of them since you know you’re not the only one using them. As a bonus, you also learn how to compromise — a useful skill no matter your age.
How to deal when you don’t get what you want
At some point, your sister is going to get the toy you asked for, or your parents will side with her during a fight; and you’re just going to have to deal with it. Unfortunately, life is full of these unfair situations — big and small — and having a sibling preps you for all of them.
The best ways to recover from a breakup
Breakups are never easy, but having a sister by your side when you’re going through one makes the healing process just a little bit less awful. Knowing your sibling has experienced the same heartache means you can trust in her advice (and ice cream flavor recommendations); and if you’ve wallowed for too long, you know she’ll be the one to get you back on your feet.
How to flirt
Dating is awkward, and communicating to another human being that you’re constantly daydreaming about your perfect future life together — without saying any of that — is a tricky endeavor. Lucky for siblings, you can pool your knowledge to figure out the best way to get that cute neighbor’s number, ask them on a date, and respond to the subsequent, cryptic text messages.
How to deal with puberty
Going through puberty is no joke, and anyone with a uterus knows that it can be an especially scary time if you don’t know what’s going on. Having a sister to explain the ins and outs of periods, PMS, and newfound curves is an absolute lifesaver.
The art of patience
Once your sister has scratched the paint job on your first car, you can basically deal with anything. It is a truth universally acknowledged that all siblings get on each other’s nerves. But rather than blow up every time they do something to push your buttons, with time, you learn how to handle these situations with patience and empathy.
How to take care of someone else
When your parents aren’t around, your sister is the closest thing you have to someone watching over you. From a young age, she’s kept you from crawling off the edge of high surfaces, and held your hair back when you were sick over the toilet. Having a sibling is an early lesson in how to be nurturing; and proof that it’s good to be vulnerable and let others help sometimes.
How to be a good friend
It’s weird to think of it this way, but your sister was probably one of your earliest friends — if not your very first. As a result, whether you know it or not, she taught you how to be selfless from a young age, and how to show someone you care in ways big and small.
The meaning of unconditional love
No matter how much you might hate your sister sometimes, you always love her about a million times more. Nothing can get in the way of that, and knowing that this kind of love is possible makes the whole world feel brighter.
Sisters hits theatres today, December 18, 2015.