Spending time with a younger brother? Gross. Spending all summer with an 11-year-old? Sounds awful. However, I don’t think this way. I love to spend time with my younger brother. Sure, he’s annoying and, yeah, sometimes I wish I had a sister, but he’s my only little brother. Due to both of our busy schedules, we don’t see each other very often, so I have always enjoyed the time we spend together.

For the past few years, I have watched my younger brother during the summer and this year is no exception. Of course, that means I spend an extraordinary amount of time with an 11-year-old boy who only wants to play football or video games, and I can’t work day shifts at my job, but I don’t mind.

I have watched as my brother has grown over the years. His likes and dislikes have changed. He has become more mature, and so have his hobbies. Spending time with his sister just isn’t as appealing as riding bikes with the neighborhood kids (even though I can ride a bike, too). It is growing harder to entertain him, and we just aren’t interested in the same things.

He likes to play video games, and I like to read. He loves Batman, and I like Superman. But, even with all of our differences, we still find similar interests. Movies, board games, making a big mess (science experiments), are common activities that we both enjoy. Not to mention, we both love to play with our dog Chewie (she, however, does not like to be played with all the time).

For us, the summer is filled with trips to the pool, lots of movies, plenty of bowling and lots of catch. Sometimes we craft, sometimes we experiment with science or food, and sometimes we just play board games. We adventure and we explore. Occasionally we might take family trips, where we will be forced to share a room (like our upcoming trip to Key West). We may not enjoy every minute together, but we have fun most of the time. We live every day in the moment, and we love (almost) every minute of it. I would not trade our days together for anything else and neither would he (even if he says he would).

This is the last summer that I will be able to watch my brother. I will spend most of next June in France studying abroad and unable to spend this time with him. He will have just finished sixth grade and will be too independent to need his sister. His life will begin to be even more hectic due to boy scouts, sports, and time spent with his friends. Time spent with his older sister will start to grow scarce. I plan to make the most of this summer with my brother.

To some older siblings, a summer watching a younger sibling may sound like a prison sentence, but not to me. I look forward to the car rides belting out lyrics to songs on the radio and the trips to the pool or the gym. The moments that my brother and I share this summer will last a lifetime. Memories that we make will stay with us forever. Unlike many other siblings, my brother and I make the most out our time together and with the summer just starting our adventure awaits.