I never realized how lucky I was growing up with two brothers until today. For the 18 years that I lived at home with my crazy brothers, I never knew how much it would prepare me for where I am at today. Today, I am in a serious relationship of over two years; I have found the man that I love, and I am beyond grateful for that. But what I am even more grateful for, is the way that my two brothers have unknowingly prepared me for this.
Growing up with my brothers, I knew all kinds of emotions; I knew what it was like to be “one of the guys," and also to hate someone so much but also love them unconditionally. I grew up as tomboy, and I am proud of that. I always wanted to be involved in what my brothers were doing, whether it was video games or sports. Like any normal siblings, they hated it, but I loved it. They taught me what it was like to never have someone go easy on you, and they taught me how to “hang” with the guys. But what I am most grateful for is how they taught me that it is possible to hate someone so much, but love them even more at any given time.
Throughout the 18 years I lived at home, there were countless fights, arguments and tears. I can honestly say that my brothers and I fought about the littlest things because each of us always wanted to be right. We would scream, wrestle, and cry (well I would) in order to say we won. Even after all of that, at the end of the day, I always got over it because I realized that the petty little fights could never trump the amount of love that I have for my brothers, my absolute best friends.
As I sit here today and play video games with my boyfriend and argue over who didn’t wash their dishes, I realize how much my brothers prepared me for this moment. My brothers have truly shaped me into the woman I am today, and that’s a huge part of why my relationship is so successful. Instead of doing what I always want to do, I can play the video games my boyfriend wants to play, I can play the sports he wants to play, and we can argue over the little things and at the end of the day love each other unconditionally. And for that, I will forever be in debt to my brothers.
