Family
With friends, you might tiptoe.
Thats so cool, people say when I tell them that I live with my younger sister.
Then, almost always: My sibling and I couldneverdo that.
Our neighbor, who has a fraternal twin sister, chose us.
The nice thing about siblings is you know each other really well, says generational expertLynne Lancaster.
You know where theyre going to bug you and where you guys get along.
With roommates and friends, youre more likely to tiptoe.
But [with] siblings, you could just say, You are such a pig.
Would you hey pick up your dishes?
During the first year my sister and I co-habitated, our fights were infrequent but devastating.
A debate over emptying the dishwasher would culminate in a blowout over an incident that occurred during toddlerdom.
Still, after two and a half years, we have grown strikingly closer and more synchronized.
This success made me wonder if there were others like us.
According to a2024 reportfromCoBuy, a co-buying and co-owning platform, 39% of co-ownership arrangements include relatives.
This number has risen by more than 20 million since it was first measured in 1995.
Its clear that the landscape of what it means to grow up and make a home is changing.
I decided to find them.
It wasnt the most far-fetched idea; as kids, theyd shared bunk beds for years.
Both single, they made one hard and fast ground rule.
We literally shared a wall.
Now 29, he characterizes that period as a pretty crazy time in his life.
Kip, meanwhile, would physicalize the character with hand gestures.
This kind of playfulness can feel more organic between siblings than later-in-life friendships.
It doesnt translate that well, says Blair, but it really makes us laugh.
They expected the arrangement to last for a year or two.
Four years later, Barb has become a parental figure to Nuggie.
I couldnt do it without her, says Raven.
She knows his routine like I know his routine.
Its like having another mom in the house… She spoils him rotten.
Shes going to be my No.
Its hard to watch a sibling go through something [like that], says Raven.
That support was crucial.
This kind of familial caretaking isnt always a given in the United States.
What weve learned from the pandemic is [the importance of] interdependence, says Lancaster.
I think community is good for human beings.
Barb is currently cancer-free and gearing up for one final surgery.
How are we going to celebrate your triumph afterwards?
Theyve been discussing travel.
Every plan is … you and me, you and me.
Im so happy about it.
Mothering specifically, my inability to stop doing it has been my sisters and my largest obstacle.
At first, she constantly tried to reel back the sort of older sister/younger sister dynamic, she says.
Im like, Girl, were both adults… Ill clean my dishes, dont worry.
With time and discussions, the pattern abated.
Look what I got forus!
Like us, the Iowa natives have gone from close to closer.
But otherwise I dont care, she says.
She could sing anytime.
It had been 45 years since they last lived together.
Thats how we started developing our sound as a band, recounts Beto Villalobos, 41.
It was really priceless.
For others, the trajectory is less clear.
Just how long do you think this will go on for?
(She turned it down a few days later.)
I dont know, I lied.
This whimsical setup is not just the stuff of fiction.
Its going to be a house full of madness, says Raven.
But Im here for it.
