Throughout their lives, men will be given the opportunity to have many responsibilities. Son, brother, father, husband; these are all very important roles to play. At the point I am in my life, I'm much more focused on the first two roles. While I am very much looking forward to being a husband and father in the future, those days are (hopefully) very far off. In the meantime, I'd like to discuss what I feel are the responsibilities of being an older brother.

As the eldest and only boy of four kids, I learned a lot about the fairer sex while I was growing up. Two of the most prominent lessons that my mom made sure to instill in me at a very early age were how to treat women, and the responsibilities of being an older brother. Older brothers, and older siblings in general, are tasked with setting the example for their younger siblings. Since learning this as a child, it is something that I think about constantly. Every move I make, I make it with the knowledge that my younger sisters will be paying attention. Believe it or not, the things you say and do as an older sibling have a profound affect on the little ones watching. Realizing this fact had an equally profound impact on me. Because I was always making sure my actions were always coming from a place that would most positively affect my sisters, I became a much better and more conscious person. I wanted to make sure that my girls were making the decisions that would best benefit them.

My second point is one that wasn't necessarily taught to me as a child, but one that I learned through observation. When women look for potential mates, they typically choose one that exhibits the qualities of the man they are the closest to. For my sisters, that's me. Everyday, I strive to be the kind of man that I want my sisters to be with. For me, this means always carrying myself like a gentleman, always showing respect to others and being supportive and comforting. It is my hope that any man that tries to court my sisters has these qualities in spades.

There are very few things in this world that make me happier than being an older brother. Everyday, I work my hardest to be a man that I hope my sisters are proud to call brother. In addition, as much as I hope that they learn from my examples, I learn a lot from just watching them grow. One day, I know they are going to make great wives and mothers (again, hopefully sometime in the far future), and I am super excited to see how they grow and mature. Alex, Carrington and Kennady, I love you guys!