Our siblings have a unique importance to our lives, no matter what the state of the relationship is, and we can't deny their impact. Think about it this way, there is no other person in this world that will know the behind-the-scenes details of what made you who you are today. These seven struggles embody for me what my relationship with my sister was like growing up, and how these experiences have shaped us.

1. Playing Barbies

My sister and I grew up playing together because we were so close in age. I was an extreme Barbie player. I think it was through playing Barbies that my love for storytelling and creating characters came from.

However, I wasn't the most fun to play with. My sister will tell you that between my intense plot lines and the way I would steal all the furniture, it was a struggle for her, to say the least. I wish if we could go back now that I would relinquish some of that control that I was so notorious for having as the older sister.

2. School

I'm sure my sister got tired of hearing "Oh, are you Amanda's little sister?" on her first day of school with a teacher who had me. My sister has shared with me, on several occasions, how me being a teacher's pet really frustrated her when going through school.

By the time we reached high school, I drove us there and back every day. My horrible driving skills and always running late in the morning made it a struggle, but it was the time we spent sitting in traffic on the way to the place that neither of us wanted to go to, that we grew the closest. I miss those days.

3. Friends

Friends were always a struggle when it came to my sister and me. We knew a lot of the same people because we are close in age, but the people she would choose as friends weren't always my favorite and I know for sure not all of my choices were her top picks either. We both had to accept that we aren't always going to like the same things or the same people.

4. Each other

Just because we are sisters doesn't make us the same. In fact, it's quite the opposite. My sister and I are so different that sometimes its hard to understand how we share so many experiences.

We see things differently, and it never fails to surprise me just how differently I interpret things than she does. Sometimes it makes me furious with her, and sometimes I'm so thankful to her for helping me understand things in a different light.

5. Divorce

When I was twelve and my sister was nine, our parents divorced. While everyone can empathize with divorce, no one but your sibling will know how the split changed you both.

My sister will remember how we talked with the lights off late at night the first time we had to sleep in the foreign bunk beds at my dad's new house, she will remember the black beanie I wore as a coping mechanism, and she knows how holidays and traditions were never the same.

6. Growing up

I took on a certain responsibility for my sister after our parents' divorce. We were going through so many moves and so many changes that I wanted to protect her. I was just a child myself trying to protect another child. We both had to grow up at an early age, and it was hard because I had to realize that I couldn't shield her from feeling the pain that I was feeling.

7. Being vegan?

This one is just a silly add-on and probably not one many will relate to, but my sister is a vegan. It's been a real struggle for me because she literally can't eat anything. If we're having a movie night and I decide to eat ice-cream, I won't hear the end of it from her.

When my sister decided to go vegan, it was just another reminder that we are individuals who make our own choices even if those choices are hard for our siblings.

While sisterhood will always be a struggle, I'm so thankful I'm lucky enough to have one.

Love you, Brooke.