Crayola meets Wrigley's

In February of 1999, my older sister, Deborah, wrote a compare/contrast paper on my little sister and me. We absolutely loved it because of how accurate it portrayed us and have requested she read it to us many times over the past 6 years. I place it here now for your enjoyment...with the preface of: I am not as bratty as I was when I was 14; regardless of what my sisters say.

CRAYOLA MEETS WRIGLEY'S -- By Deborah

Every night I get a kiss on the cheek and a "good night, I love you, see you in the morning..." from my little sister, Meridith. Sometimes, if I'm lucky, I'll get a "be quiet and go to sleep!" from my other little sister, Susannah. This small example not only describes my sisters complete opposition in their bedtime rituals but also in their personalities. Susannah and Meridith are as different as chalk and gum. The thought that they came from the same womb is almost implausible. But, in spite of their dissimilarities, chalk and gum stick together well, as do my sisters.

Susannah is the type of person that can't stand not finishing a story, or even a sentence. I can be in the middle of a conversation on the phone and she will not stop talking to me until she is done with her story. It is the most aggravating thing in the world. Just like story-telling, she also can't stop in the middle of a song. She is very proud of her lyrical knowledge and will not shut up even in threatened with blunt objects. ("Hold on, I have to finish this song!!!") On the other hand, Meridith, if asked, will stop immediately, apologize profusely for bothering you, and slip off somewhere where she "won't bug anyone."

Susannah is loud and stubborn. Meridith is quiet and humble. I don't think I have ever seen Susannah do anything she hasn't wanted to without a struggle--she is not obedient. If she doesn't want to do what our parents have asked, she thinks she is justified in not doing it. In contrast, Meridith is the epitome of obedience, it is almost sickening how much she loves to do what she is told.

Meridith, however obedient, though, could not tell a funny joke if she was offered money. Meridith spends her time telling overused chicken-crossing-the-road type of jokes that only she could enjoy. She doesn't have the timing a comic needs. On the other hand, Susannah can keep me laughing until I have to run to the bathroom. Her jokes are sarcastic and very opinionated--good fun I think.

You might think it is just her age that makes Susannah act the way she does...after all, she is fourteen. Good thought, but not the answer. Susannah has been acting this way since day one. For example, she was way overdue, ("I'll come when I want to...") [note from Sus- I was born the morning after my due date; not "way overdue."] and she was the hardest birth my mother has ever been through. Meridith, however, was one of the easiest births.

Like their differing personality traits, they also are opposite in physical characteristics. Susannah has blonde hair and brown eyes. Meridith has brown hair and blue eyes. Meridith is 5'5", petite, and flat-chested, while Susannah is 5'10", full-figured, and a little chubby.

Chubby or petite, however, these two are inseparable. They contrast each other just enough to balance the scale. If Meridith was not around to sincerely brown nose, then my parents would go crazy. And if Susannah wasn't around to bring the world of reality back to me, then I would be constantly annoyed by Little Miss Sunshine. And you know, I bet that's they are so different...because in order to be happy in life, you have to have opposition in all things--even sisters.

Meridith aka Little-Miss-Perfection -- Susannah aka One-who-used-to-tell-everyone-to-"Move it!"