Siblings with a strong bond

How do brothers and sisters view each other? How close-knit is their relationship? Are siblings with a lesser age gap closer to each other than those with a wider one? Friday speaks to three sibling pairs for their views on bonding

You never would have believed that you would one day miss the endless chatter, smelly socks or loud music of that 'other person' in your life? Your sibling, variously called little brother or sister, pest, worm, pain or, in a rare moment of honesty, your 'best friend'. How much stronger is the bond when not years but mere months separate the two?

While twins are like mirror images, siblings with just a small age gap are like sea and sand. The ebb and tide of one's existence has a symbiotic relationship on the other.

Unlike siblings who have a big age gap, the ones with very little age gap seldom remember a time when they were the sole centre of attention – this, possibly, makes for a less competitive relationship and more of a partnership.

For, as far as their memories go, they have always had this presence in their lives. Some amount of healthy rivalry no doubt exists, but it is all tempered with the inevitability of sharing everything – from clothes, books, parents and friends to secrets.

Are there then, among uch siblings, more common likes than dislikes? Do they create an unspoken language that instinctively tells the other when one is sad, pained or happy? Is being together such a strong bond that one automatically follows where the other goes, even in career choices? Or from being thick as thieves in younger days, they each blossom to be their own 'person'?

Does gender play a role in whether siblings with a small age gap are close or not? Friday seeks answers to these and talks to three pairs of siblings.

Karla Mae S Urriquia (16) and John Bryan (14 yrs, 11 months)

If you saw them shopping at a mall (a common interest that they both enjoy) you would think they are friends. They tell each other what looks good.