Little bother. Oops, I meant brother. Or did I? Sometimes living with a younger sibling, especially a brother, can make the first sentence seem absolutely true. But a little brother can be a lot more than just a pest. Here’s just a few things that having a younger brother has taught me.

1. If it has gears, wheels or a motor it is fair game to be taken apart and turned into a new invention.

Little brothers seem to be born with an internal “Thomas Edison” lightbulb that switches on whenever they are within a hundred feet of mechanical objects. That wagon you need to carry a flat of plants to the garden? That’s not a wagon, it’s a box truck for leaves. And who knew wheelbarrows have the dual purpose of acting as snowplows?

2. Poltergeists are real; that's just another name for younger siblings.

Loud thumps and clattering sounds are just another day in the house where there is a young boy. As a matter of fact, the time to worry is when the house is absolutely silent. If there’s no noise, someone is probably up to no good.

3. Miracles still happen.

Little brothers must secretly be cats with nine lives, because the amount of times that they ought to have died and haven’t is generally astonishing. They seem to have a knack for getting out of most sticky situations without dreadful physical damage, and also bounce back so quickly that it seems a bit unfair.

4. There is no such thing as a secret.

Younger brothers seem to have a verbal translation filter that can turn “Don’t tell Mom and Dad” into “Please tell Mom and Dad as soon as possible” very easily. However, secrets can be kept if each person has one; but woe to the first one to break the promise and tell on said sibling. There’s a very good incentive for keeping your sibling’s secrets if you know they are keeping one of yours.

5. You will always have a partner in crime.

Despite the fact that secrets tend to get spilled if two sibling are holding them against each other, being in on something together can feel a bit like being secret agents. One sibling can act as a ‘parent warning system’ while the other gets commits such heinous crimes as grabbing a between meals snack from the kitchen (always shared), spying on parents when you really want to know what they’re saying about vacation plans, or sneaking your cat into your bedroom through a window. My brother and I can neither confirm nor deny above activity.

6. You are always a role model.

That little brother will look up to you like you’re the greatest person in his world, and it’s up to you to be worthy of his respect and imitation. Outside of the occasional little forays into mischief-see above.

7. You will never be loved by any other person quite as much as by a little sibling.

Little brothers might show love in pretty unconventional ways, like hugging the life out of you and sometimes being a downright pest, but love them back and they’ll always have your back when life gets tough.

All in all, having a little sibling can be a really crazy and sometimes stressful life, but when it comes right down to it, they can be your cheering section, your idea sounding board, and your best friend. So worth the occasional disassembled clock.