1. They are our parents' guinea pigs.

Older siblings get the grunt of the hard-core, helicopter-style parenting. Parents are tough on the oldest ones because they're clueless and new to the whole parenting thing. By the time we come around and show up way past curfew, they're much more lenient with us because they've dealt with the groundings before so they trust us more. It's a beautiful thing.

2. They are your automatic, built-in role models.

My siblings are the reason I want to do well in school, graduate, and get an awesome job. They set the bar high for me, but because of that, I am always striving to work harder. Older siblings teach you how to be competitive in your work and be the best at what you do. You watch them apply for college and jobs, so you know how to go about being your best self. They also teach you how to thank your parents and think about others, because they've watched and cared for us since the day we were born.

Bonus reason: you always have friends to goof around with.

3. They'll be there for you, always.

Siblings are the people that will have your back and defend you, no matter what. They help you get out of New Year's Eve groundings (cough cough, thanks, Kristin), they are there to talk about anything, because parents don't always get it and they are the ones cheering you on at all you do. Thank you, older siblings. You mean more to us than you could ever know.