SISTERS

Coming from a male dominated family, I missed out on having a sister. I always found the discourse of men and women to be rather interesting. They are entirely different. Men like to get to the point in their discussions, they enjoy a good joke, and like to BS about trivialities like sports and business. I find the banter of women to also be interesting yet substantially different than men. I think most like to size each other up and talk about family and events within their circle. Nonetheless, I find the talk between men and women to be substantially different than when they are amongst their own gender. They are either cordial, flirtatious, or candidly talk on the square, such as that between a brother and a sister. I have a son and daughter and have always admired their relationship as they tell each other things they wouldn't normally tell their best friends or parents.Although I never had an actual sister, I have been very fortunate to have three people I regard as sisters. Interestingly, two of them are named "Nancy," one was a next-door neighbor I grew up with as a kid, and the other is someone I coached softball with years ago. The other is a sister-in-law whom I have known since High School. All three are down-to-earth people who I have enjoyed many a laugh and disagreement with over the years. More importantly, we have developed a rapport whereby we can talk candidly with each other. I respect their opinions and have often sought their advice on a variety of issues. We don't see each other often, but when we talk, we simply pick up where we left off.Although I enjoy their company and we have had our share of good times together, I think I appreciate their candor most of all. If I get off-track on something, they reel me in by speaking heart-to-heart with me. Their honesty is refreshing and something you don't always hear among men. I suspect the same is true among women. We've discussed everything from raising families to our professional interests.The discussions among husbands and wives is substantially different than between brothers and sisters. Whereas husbands and wives are trying to work together to make ends meet, brothers and sisters are more inclined to look at things from another perspective. My wife has a brother and I have observed how she talks to him is different than how she talks to her sisters. They laugh a lot, but they have also gone toe-to-toe on some issues. Regardless, they are blood and work out any differences that may surface.Brother/Sister relationships are interesting. Although they are generally positive, there are instances where a feud can erupt, but this is not as common as Brother/Brother or Sister/Sister feuds. I think the difference of gender is the leveling factor.For men, having a sister you can trust is very comforting. I hope women feel the same way. I just wish we had a Brother/Sister Day to remind us of how we value each other. We have holidays for just about everything else, but few are as important as the relationship between a brother and a sister.