My mini me,

Well, you used to be.. until you grew into the beautiful young woman you are today. I guess in certain ways, there are still things you do that follow the path I created before you, some gestures which are wonderful and others our parents could have lived without. As a rule of thumb the youngest child generally looks up to the oldest child as a role model of sorts, a person to be like that their parents have already accepted, little did you know there were many things I should not have done that our parents rejected. I know as a teenager now you feel like you are alone more often than not, but believe me when I say you are far from it.

When I was younger I got into my fair share of trouble with boys and booze and let me tell you it never ends well, so focus on school. I know school is going to take you places. There is light in your eyes when you speak of college or driving dad’s truck. You pick up on things so easily and half of the time you do not even realize it. Stay away from the things that could potentially drag you down away from the dreams you have been chasing since elementary school. Always be confident in yourself my dear because you are intelligent and have the brightest future imaginable.

That fire that you have, hold onto it because you’re going to need it. The world is not as bad as high school portrays it to be. People move on and grow up, but crowds will always find drama and the problems in the real world become much more difficult than they were in high school. Take this year’s election for instance; to think I had to drop a real ballot in the box and was not just voting to examine the political beliefs of a classroom. The spark within will get you through these difficult decisions; you may not always decide right the first time, but there will be other chances.

Try, always try your best in this world, I will not accept anything less and neither should you. While living in mom and dads house try to listen, try to maintain your grades, and try to network with students, teachers, and adults around you that may open doors for you in the future. Remember as long as you try, I will always be here to catch you if you fail. Win or lose we will stop at the grocery store and buy a pint of Ben and Jerries’ and rent a ridiculous romantic comedy from the Red Box, in celebration.

Do not forget to call. I look forward to hearing from you and will jump to my phone anytime I see your name flash across the screen. Our conversations are always amusing, to say the least, between the latest update on our love lives, to drama at school, to secrets circulating town. I know there will be laughs and at least a good hour of discussion without any lulls. I love hearing about your friends and your life. Not living together anymore has made talking every day harder, a feature of adult life I don’t know I’ll ever be used to. So remember next time you don’t feel like talking to anyone nearby to give me a ring I’m always waiting for you.

Finally, always be grateful, the way I am grateful for you. You are my built-in best friend, my sidekick and my superhero. You were always the stronger of us and stuck up for me when boys broke my heart, or when our parents were attempting to punish me for something you thought was absurd. You have my back a hundred and twenty percent of the time, and for that, I will always have yours. Your strength is like nothing I’ve ever seen and your sarcasm could make even Mary-Kate Olsen smile. You know what you want and are not afraid to go after it. So keep on your path baby girl because so far you are doing alright, and trust me when I say nobody has ever been so proud to be a big sister.