Dear Little Sister,

This article is going to be disgustingly sappy, I am sorry in advance. With that being said, I am dedicating this article to all of the little sisters out there who were lucky enough to have the absolute best big bros (aka my sister). Let’s get this over with as quick as possible so we can get back to arguing over who gets control over the television remote.

First and foremost, thank you for simply being there.

I don’t remember a single summer, family vacation or trip to the mall that you weren’t there. We have gone on so many adventures together. I couldn’t imagine doing them with anyone else. You have always been there. I dig that.

I look up to you, believe it or not.

You are inspiring. You have done so much with your short time on this earth and frankly, you are my role model. I still have yet to grasp how you can so effortlessly display your confidence without seeming overtly cocky. You are extraordinarily smart and a tremendous athlete, too. However, you learned all of that from me.

I have always been your biggest fan.

I could not possibly count the number of times I have bragged about you. Whether it’s for your athletic accomplishments, showing how beautiful you look in your prom dress, heck, I’ve even showed people a good selfie before. I’m a psycho, I get it. The thing is you’re my little sister and I am proud of you -- get over it. I’ve never wanted to come off as the bully. We all know that’s not my role. I know I can’t make it to every game nowadays but I’ll never stop cheering for you every step of the way.

Boys are not a thing.

Stay away from them as much as you can. I will be the psychotic older brother if I need to be. I will embarrass you until the cows come home. That is the top line of my job description. The second line is to protect you. You better believe that any person you choose to date, I will need to give the final stamp of approval. I am sure you know this by now.

If you do find “the one.”

I hope they are good to you because you deserve nothing less. You are special and they should be the first to know that, after me of course. Don’t rush into anything too quickly. You have your entire life to get to know them. If you have any significant doubts, drop it and move on. There are plenty of other fish in the sea. Never waste your time on someone who doesn’t deserve it.

This is getting a little too mushy, right? We’re almost done! Hang in there.

Lastly, keep on being you.

You’re in college now. I’m still not fully adjusted to the concept of that quite yet. I still remember the curly headed blonde girl that was too afraid of the “indoor rides” at Disney World. I hope that you are truly happy with who you are becoming. As your older brother, I enjoy nothing more than seeing you happy. Don’t ever let anyone stop you from doing something you want to do. If you’re good, I’m good.

We are done. Phew! That was almost as bad as being forced to play Mom’s terrible holiday-themed games at the family Christmas party. Pass me the remote, I want to watch HGTV.