It's weird to think that next week my little brother can legally get behind the wheel of car. As the oldest sibling, I was the first to experience all of the big milestones and achievements, and now I get to watch my brother undergo it all.

Being that we are only two years apart, I was only around for twenty-six months before my brother was born. Apparently I really liked him when he was born, from the stories I have been told. That quickly faded because as we got older, I noticed how different we were. Being the only girl of three, my two brothers had a lot more in common: from sharing a bedroom to sports to video games.

My brother’s middle school days were probably the worst for our sibling relationship. As he was hitting puberty and experiencing the most uncomfortable days of his life, he would regularly lash out on me. He has always been very mature for his age, but his views on certain things were still undeveloped and even hurtful at times. Granted, he was still trying to figure out who he was and who he wanted to be. I don’t think I understood that. My youngest, pre-pubescent brother, was still innocent and sweet during these years so I was actually closer to him. I felt as though Brendan was always picking on me, and maybe he felt the same about how I treat him.

Last year was a turning point for us. As he entered freshman year of high school and I began senior year, after three years we were finally in the same school again. We were forced to spend fifteen minutes together in the car to and from school. Even though he usually had his earbuds in, and would continue to lower the volume of the radio, slowly but surely we got to know each other again.

We would discuss things like family, friends, school, etc. I began to realize that two years isn't a big difference and his experiences with these things were extremely similar to mine. Now he actually has educated, adult-like opinions, and views! At (almost) 16 and 18, we can relate on more topics than we used to (except for politics, of course).

I feel like I just turned sixteen and got my driving permit yesterday. How does time go so fast? Sometimes I forget that as I am growing up, people around me are, too.

I would always express to my mom that I wished Brendan and I could have a relationship like she has with my uncle. She told me that one day we would, and that they, too, would bicker and fight as kids. As moms like to say, moms are (usually, sometimes, most of the time) right. I’m glad to call Brendan a friend and a brother. I’m excited to watch him finish up high school and move on to college. I feel lucky to have had him throughout all of our family issues as kids.

Happy 16th birthday, Brendan. Thanks for not actually killing me when we were younger. You’re turning our favorite number, which means it’ll be a great year! Love you.