It started out as the typical little sister/big brother relationship. He pushed me over, I cried. I begged to play with him and his friends and he turned me away. I was a tattle-tale and he was a "smelly boy." But then we grew up. Pushing me to the ground turned into pushing me to be my best. Asking to hang with his friends? I didn't have to because he invited me before I got the chance. Tattle-tale turned into secret-keeper, "smelly boy" turned into grown man, and my big brother turned into my best friend.
He comes to me for advice
Maybe the relationship switched the first time he came to me for advice. He knocked at my door and asked if we could talk about a decision he was trying to make regarding school. I remember being honored that he came to me, his little sister, to see what I would do. I sat down and gave him the best advice I could. Maybe that's when he became my best friend.
He shows me that I'm just as important as anyone else in his life
Maybe it was the first time he took me on a date with him. He was heading out to play mini golf with a girl, and saw that I was going to be home alone until he got back. He told me to get in the car because I was going with him. Maybe it was then. Maybe when he took me along on a date and treated both myself and his gal to ice cream afterwards is when my big brother became my best friend.
He's protective of me
The more I think about it, my big brother could have turned from my punching bag to my partner in crime when he started getting protective of me. It started when I was in ninth grade and he was a senior. He gave me all of the "ins and outs" of high school to make sure I stayed out of trouble. Guys were off the table unless they were approved by him. He stood up for me, stood by me, and stood firm in his protective position. That could have been when my brother changed from just the kid I watched TV with to my dearest friend.
He personifies what I'm looking for in a man
Kind, loving, generous, and funny. He's not perfect, but he doesn't claim to be. He'll do anything for the people that he loves. These are things that come to mind when I think about what I hope to find in a man. These are also characteristics that I find in my big brother. Through his relationships, he has shown me the way a lady should be treated, and has set the bar pretty high. Maybe when I realized that he is the one that showed me how I deserve to be treated is when my big brother became my best friend.
So, little sisters out there, thank your big brothers. Thank them for loving you unconditionally, for pushing you to be your very best, and for being the best role model their is. I'm not sure when my big brother turned into my best friend, but I am forever thankful that he did.
