My sister and I are very much alike. She’s practically a younger version of me. So much, in fact, that when people look at our baby pictures they often can’t tell the difference between us. Such are our personalities, for the most part.
We tried to figure out what we have in common. Despite our 13-year age difference, we came up with a long list. We have the same taste in many things - food and clothes, for instance. We both enjoy shopping and sleeping. We laugh at the same jokes and like the same movies and TV shows (but only to a certain extent; she is only 11, after all).
We also share the same manner of thinking. She reacts to many things in the same way I would, says what I’m thinking before I can say it myself and vice versa, and says the exact same thing at the same time as I do - way too often (jinx!). People even think our voices sound alike. She has complained that she’s answered the phone on various occasions to hear “Serah! I didn’t know that you were back at home.”
No, I’m not ashamed to be so much like an 11-year-old. I think it’s a good thing. I’ve been a good influence on her (as every big sister should), she’s matured quickly, and I’ve managed to hold on to a bit of my childhood - all good reasons to me.
We’re not exactly alike, however. We continue our list and I ask her what she enjoys doing most. When I claim reading as my favorite pastime, she grimaces (since I’m asking her online, she shows me her facial expression by using an emoticon, a smiley with a squiggly line for a mouth).
“Eww! You would,” she said. “I like to watch T.V!”
“Why do you like to watch TV?” I asked. “It’s so boring.”
“No it’s not! It’s fun,” she replied. “It’s just staring into a blank screen of knowledge,” she continued, trying to be profound. (She rescinded the word “blank” when I told her that meant the TV was off.)
I argued that reading is more fun than watching TV. I tactfully neglected to mention that it’s also more beneficial to her young human brain. I didn’t tell her that according to an article in O, The Oprah Magazine, reading enhances memory and learning capacity and keeps the mind strong as it ages.
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