A lot lately, I have seen a lot of articles with names like “A letter to my sister” and “Why sisters are the best”. That’s great. I fully agree that sisters are the best. The one thing that I noticed about almost all of the articles is that they were written by girls. I guess it isn’t the most popular thing for guys to express their emotions like this, but lucky for you, I radiate emotion. I’m going to tell you exactly what it’s like being an older brother to a little sister.

Just so you know, my sister’s name is Kiely, so she will be the focal point of this post.

Your sister will (very quickly) learn how to work you. I remember when Kiely was little, she would always act super sweet when she wanted something. Now when I say little, I mean like 3 and 4. During the normal day, she would be the cliché little sibling: pestering, always wanting attention, and crying to mom for made up things that I did to her. Eventually, though, she would need me when mom or dad told her no. During these times, she dropped every bit of resentment against me and was the most loving little sister ever. Being the great brother that I am, I would usually say yes. The bad thing is that I knew what was going on and still fell for it. The worse thing is that it still happens today (she is 15).

Your sister is ALWAYS watching. I wouldn’t say that I was a bad kid, but anything that was even remotely not good was exactly what Kiely was going to do. She would copy me just like any sibling would. This caused me to really watch myself. Whether or not I would admit it at the time, I always wanted to be a good big brother and set a good example.

You sister will rely on you for an open ear. Now I will be the first to tell you that for the majority of girl advice, I am not the most knowledgeable. For making it through the teenage years, I am the best person you could ask. Kiely comes to me still to this day. Sometimes it is just easier to ask a sibling about things rather than a parent. Sometimes she needs advice, sometimes she has a question, and sometimes she just needs to rant. The great thing about being a big brother is always being there for the one person you are closer to than anyone.

Lastly, your sister will grow up way too fast. I know that I don’t get to see Kiely as much as I would like, but it blows my mind how fast she has grown up. Last June she got her permit and I still am in shock. It seems like not long ago she was still tattling on me and now she is about to start college tours. It is insane how fast it all happens.

You hear time flies. I can honestly say that when it comes to watching your baby sister turn into a young lady, that is 100 percent true.