My relationship with my younger sister is pretty confusing. One minute I’m begging her to go shopping with me, and a minute later I want to slap her silly. Over my last seventeen and a half years of sisterhood, I’ve learned quite a lot, and I’m sure many other siblings can relate.

Here’s one thing any pair of sisters knows to be true: anything that you claim as your own is also your sister's. Get a new pair of shoes, four feet will be wearing them. New dress? She’ll probably wear it first. Even your bed is not just yours to sleep in.

Sisters have slumber parties too, usually when you need your own bed the most. Oh, and my personal favorite: sharing a car. It was a dream come true getting a car for my sixteenth birthday, but a year and a half later my present had to be shared. The car was mine first, but let me tell you, that will not stop my sister from taking it anywhere and everywhere (without talking to me first).

Oh, I forgot to mention the matching outfits every mom LOVES.

The worst and best part about being a big sister, or a big brother, is that you have to set a good example. I say one bad word and my mom freaks out. But if I say my sister says that all the time, the answer every single time is, “So what if you’re sister said it, you are supposed to be a good example.” This is a blessing and a curse all in one. Yeah, it is really annoying to always have to be on your best behavior, but I’ve learned a lot from it. I have become really responsible because I know there are people following in my footsteps. I have learned how to problem solve (since we fight a lot), and I've learned how to share by sharing every item I own. I've learned how to be a team player by rearranging my plans so I could pick up my siblings since that would make mom’s life easier. I’ve learned how important it is to appreciate my siblings and do anything to help my family.

Despite the many ups and downs of having a little sister, you also have a built-in friend: someone to get dinner with, someone to pick out your clothes, someone to be there for you through anything the world throws at you. Sisters have a funky relationship, but I know that when I really need her, my sister would be there for me in seconds.