Dear Little Brother,

Thank you for never failing to make me look like the good sibling. Compared to your room mine always looks clean, and that’s saying something.

I also appreciate how now that I’ve left for college, you think that makes it okay to use my room as an annex. (It isn’t.)

Also, thank you for being so tall. You always make me feel small which is great, especially after I hoard all of mom’s homemade brownies.

I miss our family road trips full of Mad Libs and I Spy marathons. (Let's be honest, I always won.)

I love our late night conversations that either end in heart-to-hearts or sidesplitting fits of laughter. We don’t have enough of those. (That means you should call me more often. Got it?)

I also like giving you advice about life because it makes me feel smarter. So, I guess thank you for making me feel smarter. (Not that you’re not smart but you know what they say…Boys go to Jupiter…)

Thank you for being by my side through all of my awkward phases.

Remember my horse obsession, being my student when I wanted to be a teacher, and laughing at my sexy braces face? (Well you laughed until they gave you a matching set.) We can thank mom for that.

I guess you really should be thanking me though because you had some doozies yourself. Don’t worry, I won’t embarrass you. (Does Sponge Bob’s magic conch shell or Swinter ring any bells?)

I didn’t know what I was getting into the first time I saw you in the hospital, wearing my newly minted big sister shirt and pink plastic sandals when I agreed to be your big sister.

I was in for a lifetime of reading our own bedtime stories after mom fell asleep, backseat arguments that often ended with the silent treatment (though those never lasted long) and now sibling outings where everyone thinks we’re dating. (Only sisters with brothers will understand this.)

I want you to know that when you came into my life, I didn’t just gain a little brother I got a best friend, too.

XOXO Your Big Sis