Every little girl wishes for a sister, older or younger, at one point in her life. But some of us don’t have our wishes granted quite like we want them to be and instead grow up with only brothers. Living with brothers as the only girl in the family is certainly a challenge at some times and things can get very interesting very quickly, so here are six things you do and know when you grow up as the only girl.

1. You learn to hide your favorite foods and snacks.

Brothers tend to find a way to find all the food in the house and devour it, no matter what their age is. I can’t count how many times I’ve hidden my new box of cereal my mom bought at the store so my brothers didn’t eat it before I got to it. My brothers are younger, but they’ve still been known to get to my favorite foods, especially cereals, before I do and I end up with half a bowl of Captain Crunch and no milk from time to time.

2. You never get hand-me-downs at first, but then they grow...

Best thing about being the only girl? No hand-me-downs! My brothers happen to be younger than me, so I didn’t get hand-me-downs from them at first, but now that my oldest younger brother is almost 15, he’s a head taller than me and when he outgrows any hockey t-shirts and hoodies, I make sure I snatch them before they’re sent to Goodwill.

3. You’re mortally embarrassed in front of your crush at least once a week.

If you’ve either made the mistake of letting the secret slip in front of them or if it’s so obvious half the people around you know about it, your brothers always find a way to say something about you in front of him and your face will turn a bright shade of red. And if his name is in a song? Plan on hearing that song both played on their computers or sung in their lovely voices at least once a day. Also plan on immature jokes and snickers from them whenever someone you meet or see on TV has the same name as the lucky fellow.

4. Getting family pictures taken is a five-hour-long affair.

My mom used to try to take our pictures for our Christmas cards herself with our camera, but she gave up after a few years of little success. Now, once a year my mom has us get our pictures taken together and every single year we’re out for at least four hours trying to get a few good pictures. It’s a miracle if we get all sat up and posed for a good picture and it actually turns out great the first time. One of them always seems to be either not smiling, looking away, making a goofy face at the last second, or flaring their nostrils (I’m talking about you, Jake…) and looking like a complete doof. My oldest brother went through a years-long phase of not wanting to touch his siblings, which made for a great time trying to get photos taken. I’m sure our photographer has quite the collection of Costello Family Bloopers from taking our pictures the last few years.

5. You roll your eyes and laugh, a lot.

The thing about boys is that they think every immature line and joke and slip of the tongue is hilarious, especially if it has anything to do with bodily functions or something sounding like a swear word; they’re going to giggle like little girls, no matter where you are or how many times your mother tells them not to do so. Have a slip of the tongue and say a word that sounds like a swear word or a bodily function? They’re going to remind you of it three times a day for the next three months. Have a totally serious moment trying to have an adult conversation with your mom in the car with them in the back seat? Expect at least one joke concerning a bodily function to come from the back seat in a rare moment of silence.

6. You wouldn’t have it any other way.

As much as they get on your nerves and bother you, you know that they’re always going to be there for you, whether you ask them to be or not. And sometimes they’ll surprise you and you’ll forget about that comment that they made in front of your crush last week and almost forgive them for it. But don’t count on that sweet little face to last too long; they’ll find something to do to make you want to pull out your hair. After all, they’re there to make life interesting.