Growing up, I thought having a younger brother was terrible. The constant teasing, the jokes, having to drive him around, etc. Up until the moment I left for college, I didn't truly understand how much he meant to me. Whatever the reason, I miss my brother now. There is something special about that bond you share with a sibling. Something that you can't replace with anything else, no matter how hard you try. It's the things that annoyed me when I was younger that make our relationship one that I wouldn't trade for the world.

My brother teases me about everything. All his teasing taught me something: how to stand up for myself and not let little things get to me. If I had taken everything he said to me to heart, we probably would never have spoken again. I had to learn to let the small things go with him, because he really didn't mean most of it. But when he said something that upset me, I was going to stand up for myself. He taught me valuable lessons by just being my little brother.

When I say something stupid, my brother is never afraid to call me out, and those things often become inside jokes between us. We have gotten much closer because of this. The things we joke about are often stupid or trivial, but to us, they're hilarious. Countless evenings have been spent at dinner with us laughing until we cry over one of our jokes. He can make me laugh when I'm having a bad day; more importantly, he's taught me that it is okay to laugh at myself. Now, I am able to laugh at my mistakes.

Since my brother is younger than me, I am his chauffeur when I go home. At first, I thought my parents were awful for making me drive him places. As I drive him around more and more, I truly treasure the times I get to be his chauffeur. Our parents aren't around, and he confides in me. This has strengthened our relationship so much in the past couple of years, and it has taught me how to be a better listener. Whether it is driving him to McDonald's for some chicken nuggets or picking him up from the movies, I cherish each time we get some one-on-one time in the car.

Yes, siblings can be quite annoying at times, but just give them a chance. If you think about it, I'm sure that they have made an impact on your life. Their impact may not be something blatantly obvious, but all the small things they do really make a difference. There's a saying that goes "You can't choose your family, but you can choose your friends." Well, if I didn't have my brother as family, I definitely would choose him as my best friend.