Dave here. I’ve been noticing a trend lately. As my male friends grow older, they actually become more attached to their sisters (usually older sisters), using them as sounding boards from everything from relationship to career advice.
It’s kind of an unwritten rule that we males don’t use each other for these purposes, and it can be a little iffy using the parents, who lived this particular portion of their lives in very different times. Plus, as W. Smith once wrote, “Parents just don’t understand.” So who is left to talk to? Your sister. She’s stuck with you.
Deborah Tannen, author of You Were Always Mom’s Favorite! Sisters in Conversation Throughout Their Lives, wrote a much-emailed essay for the New York Times this week about how having a sister tends to make people happier. She makes the case that it’s not so much about the talking but “the fact of talking.” Confused? Just read it. Then call your sister to discuss.