Lord Help the Mister That Comes Between Me and My Sister

Sisters can drive you crazy. I should know. I have two of them.

Your parents dress you alike. And even when they don’t, the younger sisters end up wearing the older sisters' hand-me-downs. I remember having to wear my sister’s hand-me-down First Communion dress and thinking I just wanted to die of embarrassment. That was 50 years ago and I still cringe when I think of it.

I also remember, however, that my mom made my sister take me along with her on her dates when she was in high school. That must have been a riot for her and definitely evened out the embarrassment levels a bit. I’m surprised she speaks to me at all.

Of course, we would have gone to the mat for each other, even when we were children. And now we are the best of friends.

I keep this in mind when I watch the sisters among my grandchildren. And I particularly noticed it recently when I watched two of my grandchildren, sisters, ages 3 and 5. They have very different personalities and interests. While the 5-year-old wants to help me make cookies, the younger one uses the plastic hand mitts as shark puppets.

What kind of cookies should we make, I asked them. “M&M cookies.” “Chocolate Chip Cookies.” They speak simultaneously. What do you want for lunch, I ask. “Macaroni and cheese.” “Rice with soy sauce.” Once again simultaneously.

So we divide the dough in half and put chocolate chips in one half and M&Ms in the other. And thank goodness for those little individual containers of rice and mac and cheese because I can please them both.

Before long, the two of them are in the playroom having a tea party. I can hear them talking to each other and I know that they, too, would go to the mat for each other. Well, maybe not today, but sometime soon.

By the way, the title comes from a song from the movie White Christmas that is sung by Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen. It's become the theme song for my sisters and me!