Sibling Rivalry

What's the worst thing you ever remember doing to your sister or brother when you were little?


My sister and I were born 14 months apart. We had a great childhood together, both good times and bad. I remember a few times I was particularly mean to her, for which I have since made restitution.

As I look back at some of my worst moments as an older sister, I wonder what my Mom thought about my behavior. My husband and I haven't been blessed with children yet, but if they Lord does bestow those blessings, (hopefully three, but no less than two) our comeuppance will manifest itself in bodily form.

Although I can't specifically recall my mother saying this to me, I know I've heard other parents say it, "You just wait. God's going to give you a child just like you and then YOU'LL SEE!" and then they would laugh evilly and manically, nodding their heads and smiling their mischievous smiles.

It was like some curse they were pronouncing. "You'll see."

My sister and I were not immune to the wily lures of sibling rivalry and we could not avoid deliberately pushing each other's buttons when the mood struck us.

As a six-year-old, I spray painted my five-year-old sister's pink Big Wheel black with the help of my playmate from across the street as retribution for Cari not allowing my friend to ride it. While we were at it, we spray painted the side of my parents' house too.

Several years down the road, sitting next to Cari at the supper table, in a random act of violence I picked up a tofu meat ball of the plate and smashed it on top of her head. 'Just to see what it would be like.' Chaos ensued. I ran screaming down the hall followed closely by my irate sister.

In retribution, when she couldn't break down the door to my room, Cari drew male anatomy between the forelegs of my favorite horse poster hanging on the OUTSIDE of my locked door. The horse was a mare, standing next to her foal.

To get back at her, I smeared petroleum jelly all over the French door handle of her room, laughed and ran away. This was the most vivid fight I can remember from our childhood.

Thankfully, we didn't stay immature and selfish. We actually grew up to respect and love one another.

When we got older and a little more responsible in high school, we did good and meaningful things, like volunteering at soup kitchens, raking leaves for neighbors, taking care of the family pets and getting jobs and drivers licenses. We became more helpful, less...harmful... and it was good.

Now as adults, the rivalry part is all but gone. We're friends! We just live 5 hours apart. We're both married, and she has a kid named Gabby, (my niece that's turning three on Halloween). She doesn't have a sibling yet, but I'm sure the cycle of love will repeat itself. I have to get Cari and Mike to work on that.