While being the eldest sibling can seem like such a burden at times, the past 17 years as an older sister has been the toughest yet most rewarding experience I have lived through. You have the ability to watch your younger siblings grow right before your very eyes as they face both challenging and life-changing experiences. Sometimes your guidance collides with their actions and sometimes it's really tough to help them when they are trying to become their own person. It hurts to see them struggle, and be kicked down by life's inconveniences. As you become older and form your own core, you realize what a blessing it's been to have younger siblings to help form the qualities that makes you, YOU. So though it is tough at times, and they get on your nerves, and they take your things and never return them, or they lie to you, it is quite the experience to be a part of someone else's growth that stimulates your own.

It starts from the beginning, the first time you ever get to lay eyes on them. You don't really know who and why this little person is stealing your spotlight?! But you feel a need to nurture and love them, almost like they're part of you, a part of your blood. This unspoken and unrecognized new found relationship forms without you even knowing and you don't even have a say in it. Now here you are loving another human being unconditionally, and that's when the fun begins. You suddenly have a new best friend and this unbreakable bond, and you're not afraid to hurt anyone who hurts them.

But then you start picking on each other. The name calling starts and since you're the older one, you get to be THE boss. But you KNOW you're older and wiser so you think picking on them will make them tougher and stronger. But then one day you hurt their feelings and make them cry, and soon you want to cry for hurting them and causing them pain. So you vow to never hurt them again because that caused you too much pain to see them hurt. This is only a portion of the learning process that encompasses your life as an older sibling.

You're now somewhat older to know right from wrong and they look up to you because your parents are somewhat uncool. Your bond starts to become stronger. You slowly learn what it means to share. Sharing is caring and having younger siblings definitely enforces this rule. You share your food with them, your room, your clothes, your words, your secrets, until finally what's yours is theirs, and what's theirs is yours. You soon find it a lot easier to share with your friends at school and the people around you in general. You will be unselfish for the rest of your life.

At a later time in your life, you find out what it means to truly love someone unconditionally. No matter the circumstance, no matter the time, no matter the severity of the situation, you know that no matter what happens, you will love your siblings. These lessons learned from this ever-growing bond you have created, will not only nurture experience in your life, it will harvest and manifest outside of that, and carry over to other relationships and portray just the person you are.

Your siblings have taught you what it means to give, what it means to take, what it means to share, what it means to laugh, what it means to be forgiven, what it means to cry, and what it means to love with all of your might, no matter what the situation is.

There is not a day that goes by that I am not thankful for my younger siblings in my life, no matter how much they may irritate me. They are the entities that taught me the best qualities I possess, and for that, as it is rewarding, I owe them everything.