Now I know what you’re thinking, "She’s comparing her brothers to farm animals?! That’s so mean!” Just bear with me. I promise I see them as far more than farm animals. I’m merely pointing out some of the similarities I see from our younger days. I’m also going to share some of the really amazing things about having older brothers.

1. Smelly

I think anyone with brothers can relate to this one. All of my brothers were talented three-sport athletes while growing up. Between the soccer cleats, basketball shoes or baseball cleats, there was always some funky smell going on in the house, especially in their rooms. However, I played sports too, so I’m sure I probably contributed to the smell at times. Plus, we can’t forget about the weird smell that boys just naturally have. I think I’ve just gotten used to it at this point, or they have all outgrown it. All in all, I had a blast watching them play the sports that they loved (or maybe just playing with their teammates’ younger siblings during the games), so I guess that outweighed the grossness of the smells.

2. Messy

I think it’s safe to say that there were several times when my brothers’ rooms resembled that of a pig-sty. Unfortunately, I think I picked this habit up from them because there are many times when my room is also a mess. One of my fond childhood memories is that my older brother used to pay me when he couldn’t find things in his room. Because I was so young, I, of course, fell for it every time. I still remember him coming into my room and saying “Hey Jo! If you can go in my room and find my math book I’ll give you fifty cents!” I knew it was a really big deal if I was offered a dollar. As a small child, I thought that was the greatest thing ever; plus I always found the things, so I always got paid! Now I realize how easily they were able to manipulate me, but if I were being honest, I’d probably still do it if they asked me to. Mainly, I just feel bad for my poor mother. As much as she tried to make us keep clean rooms, it was not always successful however, she did a great job keeping the rest of the house clean despite having four messy children living inside.

3. Noisy

Honestly, I don’t think this is just a brother thing. I think anyone with siblings can relate to this one. There are many times when it is just loud. This could be for a variety of reasons. In my family, the noise often came from my brothers while watching sports on television. They sure know how to get riled up about sports! The noise also came from us just speaking to one another. We are very loud talkers and sometimes we would try to speak over one another, which made us even louder. Obviously, there were also times when it was loud due to the incessant arguing, though I think this one mainly falls on me. I’m very stubborn, so quiet and calm discussions were not always common for me. Lastly, there was noise from all the games we played. My family is very competitive, so you can pretty much bet that there was always a heavy amount of smack-talking going on. We enjoyed many games of backyard baseball, pool basketball and hide-and-seek, which were often accompanied by us yelling and laughing.

4. Hungry

In my house, it seemed liked someone was alway eating. We were either eating a great meal my mom had made or enjoying a snack in between meals. Usually, when we noticed each other eating snacks, then we instantly started eating whatever the other sibling was eating. My brothers seemed to always be hungry and sometimes they still seem this way, but I am the exact same way. From a young age, I learned that at meals I had to eat quickly or there would be hardly any food left if I wanted seconds. I don’t know about you, but my brothers seemed to have the ability to eat everything in front of them in about 0.7 seconds. While I may not have developed the ability to eat things at an otherworldly speed, I seemed to have developed the constant hunger that my siblings so often portrayed.

Now that I’ve shared some of the less glamorous sides of having brothers, I decided to let you in on some of the best parts of having brothers.

1. Laughter

Let me tell you, there is never a dull moment in our house. All of my brothers know just how to make me laugh. One of my brothers, in particular, seems to be our own personal comedian. We always joke that he could tell us the same story 20 times, but we’d still laugh hysterically every time. Maybe it’s because he sometimes has a tendency to over exaggerate or maybe it’s because of all the hilarious voices/accents he seems to have mastered so well. Needless to say, he sure knows how to brighten a room. I also find humor in watching my brothers interact with each other. Sometimes they pick on me and other times they pick on each other. Whatever they do, they always seem to do the silliest, and also dumbest, things. They also have hilarious reactions to things, particularly when it comes to sports. No matter what they are doing, my brothers always seem to have a blast together and it’s always fun to watch and at times, join in on the craziness.

2. Advice

Boys, if you’re reading this don’t let this go to your heads. I don’t always love the advice my brothers give me, but more often than not, it is exactly what I need to hear. Even though I’m the only girl in the family and they can’t always relate to my problems, they still have wise advice to give me. I may not always go to them for help, but I know that if I ever need help, I can go to them with any problems I have. For that, I am very thankful!

3. Protection

Obviously, brothers love to tease you, but they also think that they are the only ones who are allowed to do so. My brothers are quick to come to my defense if necessary, though there has not been much need for it. My brothers would have my back for sure, except when it comes to nicknames. Then all bets are off. My brothers have many nicknames for me and feel the need to share all of those names with other people, much to my chagrin. I don’t always love the teasing or the nicknames, but I have never questioned how much they care about me.

4. Best Friends

Having brothers is like having built-in best friends. Unfortunately, some of my brothers are several years older than me so I did not necessarily have a ton of time to spend with them before they went out on their own, but the time we did have is something I greatly value. I am very thankful for the time I have with them now and look forward to any opportunity I get to spend time with them. They know how to cheer me up when I am sad, and they also know all the things I love. All of my brothers have made it a point to take me to do special things with them, whether it was going to the movies, out for coffee or even just to the mall with them, they made sure to plan things that they knew I would enjoy doing. It’s really hard living far away from them, but I’ve learned to make the most of the time I can spend with them.

Boys, you have made my life so full. I cannot even begin to imagine growing up without you guys! You have shown me countless things. Through all of you, I have learned what it means to give your 100 percent in every area of life. All of you have taught me what it means to love unconditionally, and you have brought so much joy into my life. I love you guys!