Little brothers: the world's greatest/most annoying gift to humankind. Being the older sibling, I know firsthand what it’s like to deal with a younger one. You fight, get annoyed, tattle on each other…at times, it can seem like your younger sibling is your mortal enemy, simply out to make sure they eat all of your snacks or make you mad by disagreeing with where you want to go for dinner, thus changing the entire dinner plan to a place they like.
But at that very same time, our younger siblings are also our best friends. We can tell them anything and everything without judgment (most of the time). In a sea of people who don’t know the real you, they always will because they lived with you, and most importantly, they accepted you for it anyway. I never tell my little brother thank you for the things he does for me or teaches me, so here I am, willing to be forever haunted by my brother because of this article. I’m sure we can all thank our little brothers for something. And if you don’t know where to start, here’s a little help:
1. Thanks for always being brutally honest.
Even though I despise your entire being if you give a simple “eh” at a dress that I love, I also can’t lie when I say I think twice about wearing it simply because you told me the cold hard truth that maybe bright colors and loud patterns aren’t my thing.
2. Thanks for being my security guard.
Whether it be hanging out at the mall, walking through a busy city street or practically ANYWHERE, I know I can always count on you to death glare at any guy who is passing by me…especially if they’re twice my age.
3. Thanks for being my gossip buddy.
We seriously can’t leave the house without making a comment on just about everything. The mall is especially an event —- whether it be us overhearing people arguing, catching a weird flirting technique someone is using on a terrified recipient or wondering why there’s a Justin Bieber look-a-like circa 2010 —- no one is safe from our chatter.
4. Thanks for binge watching TV shows with me on Netflix.
Going through almost every season of "American Horror Story" and screeching at the sight of every character's death has been a blast. Seriously, what would we do if we weren’t able to quote “Breaking Bad” every chance we get or stare in fan appreciation at every guy we see who looks like Jesse Pinkman?
5. THANKS FOR BEING ANNOYING.
No, seriously. Thanks for being annoying. Because of your daily annoying-ness, I now know how to deal with annoying people in the future — tell my parents so they can scold them and ground them...even if they're not their kids. Duh.
6. Thanks for always having my back even when I didn't know you did.
You might talk crap about me to my face, but my heart warms when it slips that you said something nice about me behind my back instead of something scathing.
7. Thanks for being the ultimate cheerleader.
Whenever I’m down on myself, you remind me in your little brother way that I’m awesome and can do anything.
8. Thanks for keeping me up with the times.
How would I know to exclaim “What are thooooooose?!” every time I see someone with a pair of questionable shoes on? Or how to do the Nae Nae? You keep me young, kid. You keep me young.
9. Thanks for enduring events with me even if you hate it.
Like that one time you went to the One Direction concert with me. Oops, was I supposed to keep that a secret? Sorry, bud.
10. Thanks for inspiring me.
Sorry, no cheesy GIF here. I'm being serious. Believe it or not, yes, you inspire me. (Don't use this against me.) Your confidence, honesty, humor, selflessness, open mind and overall OK-ness with your entire being inspire me every single day. As much as you make me want to rip my hair out, you also make me want to learn from you and your outlook on life. There are so many things I can thank you for and this list was only a snapshot of that, but just in case you didn't get my point...
Thanks for being my brother, bud. Cheers to the many more fights, binging on shows and adventures that I'm sure we'll have.
