On the day I was born, my two year old brother visited me in the hospital. The first thing he did when he saw me was give my soft little head a noogie. In that moment, my parents knew that we would grow up best buddies. It's almost like that noogie was our secret initiation shake.
Throughout these wonderful years of having a blood best friend, I have figured out why my brother is the most important male figure in my life.
1. He was the best play mate.
I never had a sister to steal clothes from or paint my nails with...but I did have my brother and I must say he was quite the trooper. As kids he would let me dress him in my dance costumes and paint his nails. Of course in exchange, I would play baseball outside for hours. So no, I never had a sister nor did he have a brother, but we had each other.
2. He is my very own body guard.
To any future boyfriends I have, beware. My brother has the best judge of character and won't let me settle for anyone less than perfect. And, boys, if you break my heart, just know my brother will come out to get you...or at least try.
3. He's always down for food.
If I want Chipotle for dinner, I have a guaranteed dinner date. Diner at 3am? My brother is down. Starbucks run...he's there. Thanks to my brother, I've never gone hungry or had to eat at a restaurant alone.
4. He is my partner in crime.
Growing up, we were the dynamic duo always stirring up trouble for my parents. You know the viral video of the toddler painting his baby brother in peanut butter? Yeah, well my brother and I started that trend first...except with toxic green paint. Sorry, mom.
5. He is my source of adventure.
The nights I hangout with my brother are the nights I won't ever forget. As kids, our adventures meant playing manhunt until bedtime. As teenagers, he would drag me along with his friends to go coning at McDonald's or driving through scary cemeteries. Now that I am old enough to visit him at school,the good times have only gotten better.
6. He is the reason I never get in trouble.
Thanks to my brother, my parents were much more lenient with me. If I do something wrong, chances are my brother did something way worse. Basically, because of him I am the angel of our family. Or if I do mess up on the occasion, my brother always has my back.
7. He is my personal trainer.
Whether it be teaching me how to play tennis or making me run 3 miles then doing a cross fit workout after, my brother does the best job at keeping me in shape. Any question I ever have about working out, my brother can answer it.
8. He is my advice giver.
Girls fight, a lot. My brother has a lot of friends and offers me the best advice when I'm fighting with someone. When I call him, he doesn't justify my actions or say mean things about my friends. He's realistic. He'll listen to me whine for a few minutes then will tell me to confront the problem and move on. It's simple advice, but it's all I need.
9. He values my presence.
As much as he acts like I'm annoying, I know deep down he loves having a little sister that looks up to him. My brother and his roommates are not clean, but I would never know that because my brother will clean his house until it sparkles when he knows I'm visiting. He'll never admit to me that he loves when I visit, but because he cleans his house so diligently for me and introduces me to all his friends, I'm pretty sure he loves having me around. Also, the pictures he posts that I'm featured in on Instagram, ALWAYS get the most likes.
10. He is my role model.
I have the best role model. My brother is driven, smart, and successful. It was never easy growing up with someone who perfected everything he tried. I always felt like I had big shoes to fill. Now looking back, I realize that without seeing my brother's success, I wouldn't be who I am today.
