Friday By Request

The cute kids on the merry-go-round are siblings, actually me and my sibling! That photo was taken when we were camping in Canada in the early 70s. I think we’re 4 and 5. We often went to Ipperwash campground around the time of Dave’s birthday in September, so he would be JUST 4. That photo was made into a 5X7 print and growing up, until way into my adulthood, I say it framed and on a wall in both grandparent houses! As I look at it, if they were my kids, I’d probably have that shot blown up and framed for both sets of GPs too. It’s a good photo!

Now, what does this have to do with this week’s request? Is it a request for a cute vintage photo of kids? No, no, no! But the photo DOES have everything to do with the request and I thought it would be fun for the requester to see!

This week’s request comes from my sweet niecie, Rina! I asked her if she’d give me a request for this week and she told me she’d need to give it some thought. I asked about it on Monday. Wednesday night, my Dad came over and Rina and I went with him to get her sister. The girls and my brother are Hoosierganders now. They relocated to metro Indianapolis after school let out and as Dave’s new job in Indy was starting. We met my brother and his girlfriend with Tori in Fort Wayne. The girls were going to my Dad’s place for a few days before going to a pool party in their old neighborhood on Saturday so they could visit with Grandma, who is staying at Dad’s for a few weeks. I went along because Dave promised ice cream! ;)

For lack of a real ice cream parlor at the exit where we met, we had Mc-Ice Cream. I found out that they don’t take it with a smile if you approach the McDonalds counter and say, “What kind of Mc-Blizzards do you have?” They are Mc-FLURRIES! (hehe) I ordered a Snickers McFlurry. When they asked what size I wanted, Dave told me, “You drove all the way here with Dad, you deserve a large!”

After a little bit of gabbing in the parking lot, we said our goodbyes and the girls climbed in the back seat for the ride home. After being apart for a week, there was much giggling and chatting between the two of them. Not long before they fell asleep cuddled next to each other, Rina gave me her blog request. She said, “I want you to do ten pros and ten cons of siblings.”

The Good, The Bad and The Sister
For Rina

Don’t they just look happy? That’s Tori and Rina at the Plymouth Whalers game in 2004. A good way to start the ten pros!

Ten “pros” about siblings

1. Photo ops! having siblings balances out the photo, and besides mascots just love posing with a kid on each side!
2. There is always someone to play with. My Mom was an only child and she often used that to resolve the sibling disputes. “What if you had no one to play with?” (as a kid it really didn’t work, but you appreciate stuff like that in retrospect!)
3. An in-home defender! Whether it’s your twin sis agreeing that the guy that broke up with you is a jerk, or, a few years back, a big sister to punch the kid next door for making you cry, siblings live by the rule that “No one but ME can make my sibling cry!”
4. They are a fan club! Dave and I were the loudest voices in the stands when we could get to each others hockey games (a lot of times we were playing at the same time - I was on a travel team) Tori and Rina have that same family pride when they see each other perform.
5. You have someone who totally understands your family issues.
6. You get to explore things at a younger age because there’s safety in numbers. Siblings give you more “independence.”
7. Gift ideas! As a child, something you make with your sib is always an even more special present. When you are adults, a portrait of you with your siblings is always a great gift for your parents or grandparents.
8. As adults, free baby-sitting!
9. Better chance of getting Dad to get ice cream if you’re not begging alone!
10. The punishment hurts less if you’re not in trouble alone!

Ten “cons” about siblings
1. Sharing a bathroom! If it’s brothers or sisters sharing a bathroom, that’s rough. “Dude, that was my last razor!” “You used all my hair spray AGAIN!” but my nightmare growing up? Sharing a bathroom with a brother! The worst of that was, in the 80s, he was a long-haired drummer - HE used the last of my hairspray! (Thank God, he was too macho for my girlie razors!)
2. No secrets and when you argue, they use them against you! “I’ll tell Mom I saw you smoke!” “I’ll tell that guy you like him!” “Don’t forget I know where you REALLY were last night!”
3. When you're around them so much, you see every little annoying thing they do!
4. They don’t know how to stay on their own side of the back seat!.
5. They always upstage you! (Okay, this is STILL, two weeks after I got a brand new car with no cosigner on the loan, I get a call, “Guess what? It’s gonna be TWINS!”)
6. The first one married, doesn't matter if it's son or daughter, will drain the parental wedding budget. (Viva Las Vegas for the rest?)
7. They borrow clothes and jewelry without asking! (same with that 80’s drummer brother stealing earrings)
8. In pairs, one will always be thinner, while the other one is always luckier. Neither one will ever know if they got the better end of that!
9. When you’re adults, at family gatherings, your siblings will always remember the most embarrassing things from your childhood when everyone starts reminiscing!
10. Teachers in school who know you as someone’s brother or someone's sister. Sheri and I met each other when we were “Mel’s Sister” and “Dave’s Sister.” Imagine how bad that sucked, since I was the older one!

98!