Being the only girl of three children definitely had its advantages and disadvantages. Either way, growing up with two brothers taught me some valuable, and at times interesting, life lessons.
How to Get Ready Quickly
When you live with people that can get ready in 10 to 15 minutes tops, no matter how formal or informal an event is, you learn how to get ready in a very speedy manner. Either that or you just learn to get up an hour earlier than them just so you can finish getting ready at the same exact time. It’s hard being a girl.
How to be Tough
Because my brothers weren’t (always) down to play dress up or house with me, I was subjected to countless flag football games in the backyard, games of cowboys and Indians, and many more activities that usually resulted in rough housing. My toughness was always being tested, and I learned to hold my own with two boys. I also learned how to throw a pretty mean right hook. Free self-defense lessons from my brothers—thanks, guys.
The Importance of Girl Friends
As much as I love my brothers, they aren’t exactly the first people I run to when I want to tell someone that the cute boy in my psychology class flirted with me or when I want to talk about the guy I like or what I should wear to a date night. Plus, you can’t exactly raid their closets either (unless you’re looking for T-shirts).
If there’s one superpower that brothers, especially mine, possess, it is the ability to spot a jerk from a mile away. Especially when said jerk is involved with or interested in their sister. Even though they’re pains in the neck, they put us on a pedestal, and if a boy doesn’t respect you the way they do, then he needs to hit the road. Just like we don’t want girls to break our brothers’ hearts, they don’t want boys to break ours. So next time they tell us a guy is bad news, we should listen.
What it Means to Love Unconditionally
Other than our parents, there is no one we are related more closely to than our siblings. Being the only girl, there were so many times I would get extremely aggravated because my brothers were unsympathetic or just couldn’t relate. Some of my angriest moments in my life have involved my brothers, but no matter what, I’d do anything for them, and I know that they’d do the same no matter how angry I make them at times. They may be my biggest annoyances but they’re also my biggest blessings, and I wouldn’t trade them for anything (not even a super cool older sister with a great closet).
So next time you get annoyed with being the only girl, remember that it’s a blessing. Because they aren’t just our brothers, they’re our bodyguards, our biggest supporters, and our best friends, and they will be the ones who are always there for us.
