I’m not just your older sibling—I’m the person you’re supposed to look up to for the rest of your life.

Ever since my little brother was born, I had to mature to a level not many kids know how to do. I always had a little baby running around the house until I was about eight-years-old, which was the expected age of me starting to watch my younger siblings. The feeling I get when I hear stories about my younger siblings succeeding in school or in sports is something I don’t explain to them enough. The opposite feeling of that, sadly, is when I hear stories from my mom about them getting in trouble at school or getting picked on.

The term “momma bear” doesn’t even come close to the feeling I get when they’re threatened. My little sister, especially, is something different. Being a middle child is a whole other letter I could write, but I don’t have the perspective. Watching her grow up, however, I realize just how lost the middle can get. You will get different treatment than the oldest sibling, even the youngest sibling. The one thing I can for sure let you know is that you’re loved just as much as the other siblings.

Coming from a house of four kids, I know there is a lot of drama within the siblings that can tense the relationships between us. But I will always appreciate the times I had with them, and being away at college makes me miss the bickering about who will shower next and what’s for dinner that night. They will be my best friends for life.