The Sisterhood of Motherhood {from the archives}

Having two daughters has me thinking a lot about sisterhood these days. I have one sister (no brothers, except for my brother-in-law who really has been a brother to me). She is older than me so by the time I was aware of the world, she was off living her life and we didn't have that much to do with each other. When I was 9 she moved away to travel and work and I rarely saw her until she moved back to Vancouver when I was 17. My sister and I started to get to know each other but we weren't very close. I moved to Toronto, she got married and had kids, we lived very different lives.

But all of that changed the day I told her that I was pregnant with my first baby. I think she was more excited than I was, and even though we had yet to find out the sex of the baby she bought it shoes. Of course. And luckily, it was a girl. My sister has two boys (amazing boys whom I love) so having a niece was going to be fun for her. She bought every girly thing you can imagine. But it wasn't just about the baby. I instantly felt a connection with my sister. One I never had. I had joined the club. Motherhood.

Since then, I have had a second girl. My sister is so close to both girls and has been the Aunt Extraordinaire. My oldest daughter simply calls her Aunty. But for me, having a sister that is a mom that I admire, someone I can talk to about pregnancy, recovery from c-sections, raising babies, feeding children, life with children, is something that has really changed me. I wasn't expecting to feel a connection with her in this way.

Now I have the sister I never really had before. And I am so happy that we are close now and sharing our lives now instead of wishing we had stayed close and kept in touch. Because now is when I really need a sister. Because Motherhood is the hardest thing I have ever done. It is also the part of my life that brings me the greatest joy and that I feel most proud of. And now I get to share it with my sister. The sisterhood of Motherhood.

(first published by Kimberley's Kitchen Nov 2010)