Are you a glass-half-full person? Thank your sister!

Hi! I’m Lauren and I work with Dr. Veronica. I am going to be doing a weekly blog.

I’m a student at Fordham University. I love it here and hardly ever want to leave, but last Sunday I headed home for the day for a very special reason. My younger sister is in the seventh grade, and her first school dance is tonight. Needless to say, she has been counting down the days for weeks. My other sister, a freshman in college, and I wanted to help make her first dance special. So, I told her to flip through Teen Vogue or browse their website (she was more than obliged, as Justin Bieber is on this issue’s cover), because we were going to shop for the perfect dress.

On Sunday morning, my father picked my sister and I up from our schools. We spent a little time with my dad and brother, so as not to make the boys feel bad, then it was off to the main event.

Shopping for a dress seemed like it would be easier said than done, for two reasons. First, seventh graders are stuck in an awkward phase. They are starting to develop their own sense of style and think they’re too old to shop in the girls’ section, but, at least in my sister’s case, aren’t quite grown enough to move up yet. Second, my sister’s school has two major rules: dresses and skirt must touch the knee, and the girls can’t wear anything sleeveless. With these rules in mind, my mom, my sisters, and I headed into the store expecting a struggle.

However, among the strappy dresses and short skirts, my mom was able to find the holy grail- a dress that follows the rules and fits my sister wonderfully. I assured my sister that ruffles are very trendy right now, and we found a bracelet and cardigan she could wear, too. We left the store all in smiles, with a girl who could look forward to confidently walking into her first dance in a fantastic new dress.

Spending a day with my sisters, especially when I haven’t seen them in awhile, makes me extra appreciative of them. If I need advice,  if I’m lonely,  or if I just received the best news of my life, I know I have two girlfriends I can always talk to (twelve year olds have great insight on many situations). I cannot imagine life without my sisters.

While I’ve always known they help me out, it turns out there are studies that show that sisters benefit from each other. A study presented at a British Psychological Study conference suggests that growing up with sisters makes people more optimistic, more ambitious and better balanced.

Surely, brothers  (shout out to my awesome brother Phillip!) come with their own sets of perks, and I know plenty of people without sisters who seem to draw the same benefits from their girlfriends. But for those of us lucky enough to have a sister (or sisters!) as wonderful as mine, let’s take a moment to be grateful!

read on about the study here:

http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/families/article6018057.ece