Despite the number of times I may have thrown up my hands and wished to be an only child, there's no denying that there are plenty of valuable life lessons and other perks that come with having an older brother.

1. Your parents definitely treat you differently

All parents like to say that they have no favorites among their children. While this may be true, it is also true that many people's parenting styles can change drastically from their firstborn child compared to their second.

Parents are typically more lax and at ease with their younger children, at least in my experience. My brother's protests from when he was younger also carried over quite conveniently to my own childhood, letting me have better after-school snacks then he did and the right to watch TV during dinner that he fought hard for.

2. You learn not to take life so seriously

Older brothers were genetically designed to make fun of you for something or another ever two five seconds, whether it's for something stupid you did five years ago or accidentally tripping over your own feet at a family reunion yesterday.

Personally, between taping trash to each other's doors and my brother making goofy faces in every picture we attempt to take together, I've learned there are times in life when it's okay to be silly, weird, or even a little annoying, as long as you don’t take it too far.

3. You get ready for the real world

The real world can be challenging.There will always be people who push your buttons or test your limits or people who are brutally honest and blunt about what they think of you.

Having an older brother can help prepare you for that. Where your parents would normally praise your drawing skills when you were little, he'd be the first to point out that your finger-painting looks like an elephant having a seizure.

I'd like to hope that the years of being told there's a bee behind me when there's actually nothing there, being forced to walk through the bushes where there are spiderwebs to retrieve a soccer ball, and being fake-pushed off mountains on numerous occasions at family vacations have prepared me for what the rest of the world might have to offer.

4. At the end of the day, there's always someone around to have your back

As much as your brother may see you as his annoying little sister who leaves her clothes on the bathroom floor, you know that when all is said and done you have someone around to help you out.

Having an older brother, or an older sibling in general, means there's someone around to inspire you, toughen you up when you need it, and stick up for you.

And also steal the remote to switch the channel to something you don't like.