I have two brothers, one older and one younger than me, so throughout my whole life I was (and still am) surrounded by boys. I’ve had people ask me how I do it, but when I look back, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’ll admit that the testosterone levels can get very high at times when we are all home together, and sometimes it is not a pretty sight. There can be harsh words that hurt me emotionally, and even physical harm (don’t worry though they’re not too abusive), but I think that things like these actually made me a stronger person. Living with brothers can teach you many things in life.

For one thing, brothers definitely do not allow you to be as emotional. If I started crying at something stupid as a kid, my brothers would sometimes laugh and tell me to get over it. Lesson number one: don’t get too upset about the little things. In addition to making you emotionally stronger, brothers make you physically stronger. I have suffered through countless wrestling matches in my living room, rough soccer games in my backyard, and pushes down the hardwood stairs. I’m not necessarily saying that these experiences were the epitome of fun, but they make good memories that I can laugh at now and they taught me to endure more physical pain (maybe this is why I like to make my body run long distances for fun). Another thing that I dealt with a lot growing up with boys was food. My brothers unintentionally taught me to never feel bad for taking the last of the ice cream. When there are a lot of male figures in your house, you have to fight for that last scrap of food. Boys are savage creatures when it comes to their meals, so if you want that piece of pizza, you cannot be nice about it.

Even though I am probably making it seem like boys are vicious animals, living with brothers really did make me a stronger person – and not entirely due to the physical and emotional pain that they sometimes cause. Another good thing about growing up with boys is that I always have someone to turn to when I want an honest opinion or a different perspective on something. My brothers have introduced me to some pretty rad bands, movies, and TV shows too. Sometimes, you need a masculine view on things. In the end, I like to believe that my brothers will always be there for me, even if it’s just to tell me to “walk off” the pain.