Since I grew up doing theater, I have always been around kids who have been older than me and I’m sure it’s the same case with any other sport or activity that you are involved in. Since we dedicated so much time with these people inside and outside of school, we obviously developed some very strong relationships with them. Although I do have friends that are my age, the majority of my friends are older than me and whether there’s a 1, 3, or 5-year age difference, I have a lot to thank my “older” friends for.

Dear Older Friends,

Thank you for always checking in on me.

It was always hard being left behind when the next batch of older kids graduated and left me in the dust, but the weekly texts begging for updates on school work and the latest gossip were something I always looked forward to.

Thank you for being my taxi driver.

I know that you LOVED driving halfway across town before school in the morning just so we could grab Starbucks.

Thank you for being my second mom or dad.

The reminders to always stick to what I need to buy at the store, not what I want to buy were always so helpful. And thank you for occasionally spotting me a few bucks when my little self didn’t have a job. (That’s what made you the cool mom or dad!)

Thank you for being overprotective and for not letting me get into bad situations.

Since you were alive when the dinos were roaming the earth, you definitely have had more life experiences than I have, so thank you for not letting me get into too much trouble.

Thank you for showing me the ropes of life.

When it was time for the baby (AKA me) to start the college search and decision process, you were right there the whole time. You always knew all the right questions to ask and exactly what to do when I didn’t have an answer, since you had been in my shoes not too long ago.

Thank you for always answering my late night texts.

Along with the college process came the start of weekly “I don’t know what I want to do with the rest of my life” freak attacks and you never let me go through them alone. Whether you were 15 minutes or 5 hours away, you always made it seem like you were right there next to me.

Thank you for always having my best interest in mind.

Sometimes I needed someone to talk to who was older but didn’t want to go to the family. Thank you for knowing exactly what to say all the time and for always knowing what’s best for me.

Thank you for making time for me when you came home from school.

Since I am now living the college life, I know that when I come home all I want to do is shower without shoes on, eat a meal and sleep, but you always took time to see me and see how I was doing when you could’ve been doing a million more things. Thank you for making me feel special.

Thank you for being great role models.

I can’t think of a better group of people to have grown up looking up to. You are all some of the most motivated, kind and talented people I have met in my life who will stop at nothing to get to their goals. Thank you for getting s*** done, and inspiring me to get out there and make a difference too.

Thank you for not minding having the younger one around.

I know that it's probably not the coolest thing in the world to be hanging out with someone who’s younger than you, but thank you for taking me in and making me feel like I’m one of the big kids. Thank you for never complaining about having to make your plans slightly more “child friendly.”

Thank you for being the best friends that a girl could ask for.

Love,

Your favorite annoying little sister that you never wanted