My daughter, my mother,  my sister and I all recently got together to go see The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part.

This sequel, part of the Lego movie universe, follows the unique characters built of the blocks of Danish toy brand Lego. The partially animated and live-action film follows Lego characters as they fight and collaborate with each other to determine the best defenses against their universe’s impending doom known as “Our-Momma-geddon” (an obvious play on Armageddon) which will end the lives of the toys because the human characters’ mother will force them to put away their toys as a consequence of their squabbling.

The moral of the story is that sibling rivalry exists. This was a resounding fact for me as I watched the movie with my sister. She — more than a decade my junior — and I have had our fair share of tense exchanges. We grew up in different generations. When September 11 happened, I was a high school sophomore; my sister was only 2. When I was a college freshman, my sister was 5. Through the years we had many differences and conflicts, but we managed to love each other. As was the case in the Lego movie, our mother would often help us navigate our conflicts.

The brother and sister in the Lego movie saved the day when they worked together. They were able to play with their Legos together. The brother compromised and allowed his younger sister to play with his tough and rugged characters; and the sister was able to show her brother that her characters were worthy of his attention.

Despite differences, there are ways siblings can bond. Going to the movies is one solution that has worked for my sister and me. We both love movies. We love discussing movies and thinking about them in deeper ways. Our differences in personalities (I being more outspoken to my sister’s reserved presentation) have caused conflicts in our past. But I now learn from my sister when to speak and when not to speak. I hope she learns from me; in the meantime, we’ll both laugh our way through a ton of movies.

The best strategy to resolve sibling rivalry is to notice the differences and to discuss them. Through these actions, siblings can find something they both enjoy. For my sister and me, it’s movies.

Jamar Thrasher, a Pennsylvania-based writer who often writes about youth issues, is the owner of Kennedy Blue Communications, a PR firm which focuses on youth organizations and youth initiatives. His work has appeared in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PennLive and the New Pittsburgh Courier. He lives with his young daughter, Kennedy.