To my baby brother,

I know it probably embarrasses you that I still consider you my baby brother when you’re practically all grown up but face it kid, no matter how much taller and stronger you are than me, I will always be older. Now that you’re growing up I think it’s important for you to know how much having a little brother means to a sister. I know your attention span isn’t the greatest so I’ll keep this as short as possible and in words you can understand.

I think we can both say when we were little, we hardly got along. You were a fan of pulling my hair and doing anything to irk me and I used that as an opportunity to get you sent to time out (sorry about that, by the way).

In elementary school I would say we owe a great deal of appreciation to each other because everyone knew us. Not because we were #siblinggoals (especially because hashtags weren’t a thing yet) but you were known as my younger brother and I was known as your older sister and that was beneficial because when a lot of people waved to you in the hallway you were cool—that’s a fact.

In the later years of elementary school as I was transitioning into my awkward phase I was forced to be one of your biggest supporters. I went to all your soccer games and baseball games and basketball games and whatever else you tried. I’m not going to lie, sometimes I got jealous of how good you were at everything you did and that all my friends loved you and that just wouldn’t be tolerated.

Then you became a middle schooler. We may have been acquaintances before but at this point I hardly considered you and me the same species. I definitely liked your friends more than you just because I wasn’t forced to live with them but in reality there were just as irritating as you were. It’s okay, I was annoying at that age too.

But now that times have changed, and you’ve gotten older we can forgive each other for all the years that weren’t friends because when we both reached high school I can say you were the most important person in my life and unfortunately I think I took having you around for granted. I don’t think I realized how hard it would be not having you physically there all the time when I left for college.

Leaving for college was both a blessing a curse. I miss you all the time but it taught me to value the time I have with you a lot more. I became your biggest fan (by choice this time) and no matter what you accomplished I was beyond proud of you, even if I didn’t tell you I can guarantee I told all my friends about how well you're doing in school and that you got your license and I showed them your prom pictures and the video of that fight you got in. I apologize that I couldn't be there for all of it.

Lastly, I would like to thank you. Thank you for threatening to beat people up when I cry, for always making me laugh (even at really inappropriate times), pretending to enjoy dress shopping with me, playing all my favorite songs when we’re in the car, letting me know when I can do better, telling me when I mess up, and supporting me through everything.

Most importantly, thank you for growing up into the amazing young man that you are and becoming my best friend.

Love,

Your crazy big sister