I've been thinking today how funny (as in odd-funny) it is how sometimes parents can produce children so utterly different. The reason for this, and case in point: my cousins Sherry and Karl (who are visiting us tonight with their partners) - Sherry left school at 15, worked in Pizza Hut ever since and has never lived anywhere else except Whangarei. She's quiet, meek and shy to the point of being mousy.
Where as Karl went travelling four years ago fresh out of university (fully qualified as an accountant) and has lived in Canada, the US, Japan and the UK. He and his partner Fran have just returned from an epic backpacking trip round Africa (not to mention their travels through Asia, the US and Europe) and they're only home for a month or so before heading back to London to save up for their next round of adventures. Karl? He's outgoing, confident and can talk a leg off a chair.
It's like Sherry and Karl were bought up in two totally different households.
Lil'Sis and I are quite different too, but those differences are fading slowly but surely away now. We have more in common than ever as mothers, homeowners, gardeners, neighbours and a mutual fondness of 70's soft rock music. Our tolerance of each other's personality quirks has increased tenfold - her and I spent the first twenty years of our lives disliking to the point of despising each other (particularly in our teens: many a time I could have easily ripped her carefully coiffured Alison Moyet quiff out follicle by follicle and I'm sure she would have loved to have taken a sharp knife to my Siouxsie and the Banshees cassettes on several occasions) and the next ten tolerating each other, only just at first, but more and more as our twenties wore on.
And now, finally, we actually like each other and most importantly respect each other for who we are, not what we think each other should be.
Are you and your siblings alike? Have you grown more alike as you've gotten older?
Or will that just never happen?
My sister and I are both alike and completely different.
She has an analytical mind, loves maths and science and is a doctor.I have a creative mind, love writing and art and am a journalist. She loves chick lit and movies, I'm all for the crazy books and biographies and artsy films. She dresses like a girly girl (all dresses and heels), I love my jeans and Chuck Taylors.
She would eat red meat non-stop if she could - I'm a vegeterian. She's a social butterfly, I love staying home and early nights. She's a savoury fan, I like it sweet.
BUT we are so alike as well, we laugh the same, finish each others sentences, have the same voice, love kids and love the beach, love gardening, love hanging with the family.
I've realised as we have grown up, we are kinda turning towards the other, she will no happily eat my vegeterian meals and I will tolerate a chick flick every now and then.
I guess it's true, the same blood does run through us.
It's funny you mention this, my sister and I are like chalk and cheese, we have different tastes in almost everything. My brother and I appear to share very similar cynical personalities though.
My little brother and I couldn't be more different. He's quite a bit more outgoing than me. We fought a lot when we were kids. My sisters and I have almost nothing in common. I have 6 sisters. I fought with one of them quite a bit. I'm the oldest, she is the next oldest.