To my little brothers, even though you annoy the day-lights out of me sometimes, I love you.
1. You have to be the responsible one All. The. Time.
Whereas sometimes this turned out to be in your favor, constantly having to be a positive influence on your younger siblings was exhausting. Talk about a wanna-be! Not to mention they want to copy everything you do for that short (super fun!) period of time. Either way, everything your little mini-me did was always influenced by you - good or bad.
2. There was no bigger taddle-tale than your little sibling.
But they were always willing to make a deal to stay quiet about it weren't they? What do people call that... Oh, making a deal with the mini-devil?
3. "Don't tell mom!" could be you and your siblings' motto.
You probably have more dirt on your siblings than you remember, but your little sibling will always have more on you and they usually don't forget it either!
4. You actually had to wait post-puberty for a cell phone.
There were no iPads at age twelve, and definitely no post-historic-smart-phones until you were at least in high school. Although, in the end, it was probably for our own benefit considering the abundance of cringey "TBH" and "truth is" posts in my 2016 Facebook feed.
5. Your younger siblings could basically get away with murder.
And no matter how old they are now, they will always be "too young to know any better."
6. You're expected to give your professional advice on college essays, ACTs, graduation, and anything post-high school related.
I guess if you go through it first, you're automatically the expert, right?
7. There is a very good chance you have Type-A personality.
Whether or not they like to admit it, our little mini-me's looked up to us and - at some point - wanted to be just like us, so basically we're natural born leaders. Your competitive spirit most likely rooted from the amplitude of races, wrestling matches, and constant bickering. And you can blame your occasional impatience on the little ones, too.
8. Every bad trait your siblings have is blamed on you.
"Well, who else could they have learned that from?"
9. No take-out lasts over a day in the fridge.
Name on it or not, leftovers were somehow always fair game if you have siblings. I basically had to hide my Buffalo Wild Wings leftovers in the veggie drawer just for an extra precaution, and yes, it still got eaten.
10. If you have a brother like me, your parents may or may not have placed bets on your wrestling matches.
Ah, nothing goes better with a classic sibling wrestling match than a dash of monetary competition. Oh, the days when you used to be able to over-power your younger sibling. It's not as fun after they hit puberty and grow a few feet.
11. Bonus: Although sometimes you want nothing more than space away from your siblings, there will come a time when you miss their (frequently obnoxious) company.
As most of us would have never admitted, your little siblings were the heart and soul of your childhood. All the way from "I call front seat" arguments to who gets to shower first, in the end, your sibling is like a grown-in best friend that will always be there for you - even if you don't want them to be.
