Dear My Favorite Little Nerd,
I know I didn't always act the way a big sister should when I was at home. I always thought that I had an image to uphold and that I had to act a certain way. I liked to forget that I used to annoy my older brother too; it's the responsibility of the younger sibling to get under their older sibling's skin. The truth is, you are the funniest person I have ever met and I wish I had all the unique personality traits that you possess.
With that being said, I want to give you some pieces of advice since I'm not at home to teach you these things anymore.
Even though I'm not at home anymore, I am still protective of you. I'm still scared you are going to fall out of a tree while you're slaying dragons. I'm still scared you are going to drown in the pool when you're pretending to be a shark, even though you are an excellent swimmer. Even though it scares me, you have an incredible imagination and you should never let anyone dull that. Keep fighting warriors in the woods. Keep shooting dinosaurs around the lake. Keep talking to your alien brothers in space. Your vivid imagination makes you an incredibly fun person, and I would be honored to fight alongside of you around campus when you come to visit me.
I was always embarrassed when you did crazy things in public, but I always immediately regretted telling you to stop. Your spontaneity took me by surprise, but even at this young age I can tell that you will be more outgoing than I ever was or will be. So keep break dancing in the movie theater when your favorite song plays for the credits. Tell jokes that no one understands but you, because they are still funny. Race yourself to the door of every store. Keep laughing as loudly as you do, even minutes after the joke is over; your laugh is incredibly contagious and never fails to make me smile.
When you were five years old you cried at an animated movie when the main characters were fighting with each other, and again in several instances when someone's feelings got hurt or someone died in movies. I knew even then that you were going to have a sensitive personality, and that can never be a bad thing. Never will it ever be bad to show or tell someone how you feel. As you grow up, people will try to take advantage of your niceness, but you can't let them. Telling people how you feel also includes telling them when they do something that you don't like. It's okay to lose friends when those friends do not treat you like they care about you. Surround yourself with people who you like and who like you, and you'll be happy. Then, you can come tell me all the crazy things y'all do together.
As you get into middle school and high school, you'll discover cliques, which are groups of people who all share common interests. You'll find there are the jocks, which are the athletes; there's the nerds; there's the ones who play card games every chance they get; there's the popular kids who are popular because their parents have a lot of money; and a lot of others. I want you to know that it is perfectly fine to not be a popular kid. It's okay to be a nerd. It's also okay to be more than one type of person; you are not limited by certain titles. Be who you are and do what you love and you will find your place in the world.
All in all, I want you to promise me that you won't change for somebody else. You are perfect just the way you are, and should surround yourself with people who support everything you do.
I may not be good at showing it, but I love being your big sister and watching you grow up, and I can't wait to see the man you become.
All my love,
Your big sis
