Little brothers are seriously underrated. People tend to stereotype little brothers as pests. Don't get me wrong, I know there are some little brothers out there who act like the scum of the earth. However, that's not the case for many little brothers, including mine.
Cameron, my little brother, is seven years younger than me. That's a pretty decent sized age gap. I'm currently 17-years-old, which makes Cameron a whopping 10-years-old. Kids that age are usually irritating and just downright evil. Cameron is a different story. Of course, he has his moments, as do all kids, but the good definitely outweighs the bad.
Cameron loves basketball, animals, Marvel, and Nerf guns, among a lot of other interesting things. He's such a smart as well as ambitious kid - he wants to learn as much as he possibly can. He gets upset and insecure when he can't seem to understand something and succumbs to what I like to call his "turtle shell," where he places a mental wall between himself and everyone else. I relate to Cameron in several aspects, but especially in the aspect of insecurity.
Many times, siblings will have things in common or common interests but choose to ignore them instead of embracing them. The siblings who constantly fight might find a resolution if they choose to view their brother/sister as an actual person with likes and dislikes, not as a bother. If they choose to see their brother/sister as a person, who knows?
They might begin to actually like them. I choose to see Cameron as a person, and I think he's awesome. I like his sense of humor and how he strives to be the best he can possibly be in everything he does. I like my little brother, and I'm not ashamed of that.
Love is such an important factor in a sibling relationship. I believe the reason Cameron and I get along so well (for the most part) is that we simply love one another.
Love is an action - it's a choice.
I choose to love Cameron no matter how much I want to rip his head off and feed it to some hungry sharks. Don't tell me you love your little brother when you do so many terrible things to him with no consideration for his feelings; there's a difference between joking around and legitimately being mean.
Cameron is my only sibling, and I've learned not to take him for granted. He's the only brother I'll ever have, and I don't want to jeopardize my relationship with him simply because of fighting rather than getting along.
As an older sister, I encourage anyone with a little brother to evaluate your relationship with him and ask yourself, "Do I really like my little brother?" We need to stop seeing little brothers as little bothers and start seeing them as the treasures they are.
