I am the middle child and my older brother and I stayed home for college. But when my little brother graduated high school and he only applied to colleges away from home, I knew I was looking at the harsh reality of my little brother being the first one to leave "the nest", as they say.

I was extremely excited for him, knowing that ahead of him he was facing the experience of a lifetime: the "college experience", which would give him the feeling of complete independence and help him become his own person. But, I was also completely crestfallen and worried at how much I would miss him. I am a homebody and very attached to my family and loved ones, especially my little brother. When he left, it was like losing a brother and my best friend. The family unit was altered.

Was I not being happy enough for him, to overpower my missing him so much? Was I being too dramatic? Do I sound like a mom writing this, instead of a sister? Thinking so much about this has made me wonder whether or not I'm just overreacting and being an overprotective granny of a sister. But through the months and searching the web for some support, I have been able to find comfort and recognize some things.

An article on National Public Radio (NPR) discussed the bond between siblings, and stated that "our sibling relationships, in fact, are the longest-lasting family ties we have," and the relationship you have can have a tremendous effect on your health and positive mood, especially as you get older. I never really thought of it that way, but it is true; that we are together longer than our friends, parents, or spouses and that this fact alone can explain why, when something happens between us, we are deeply affected. This bond is unlike any that we form in life with anyone else.

"When a sibling leaves for college, the children left behind are obviously directly impacted, but how they are affected varies from family to family," reports the Huffington Post. But if the siblings are very close, "the impact of the loss can be great," which is too true in my case. I sometimes still walk up to my brother's bedroom door out of habit, to barge in and say hi, and stop myself remembering he isn't in there.

I think that because of how close we were, his going away hit me very hard and home doesn't feel the same without him. But just because everything has changed and everyone is impacted- even our little Yorkie- does not mean that we have changed. I feel that the bond between us is still the same when he comes back to visit.

I know now that I am not overreacting, but also that I am not alone in this. “It truly affects everyone in the family – even the dog,” says Metroparent, referring to a sibling leaving home. I am not the only one feeling this loss in my family, everyone has felt the need to adjust.

Over the months, I have come to realize that his going away is not the end of the world, but a temporary change to our lives. So if you are going through something like this now, everything will be OK! Things are very difficult at first, and adjusting feels impossible, but at the end of the day it's a good thing for them.

If you're reading this brother, I'm glad you decided to go away but- I miss you a lot!

It's almost the end of his first year away, and I still feel the same sadness as I did the day that he left, but my understanding of it has changed. I miss him and selfishly want him to come back, but as much as I am not used to him being gone, I also have gotten used to what life is like with him being away.

I feel involved in his life when he tells me about his day over the phone, think about all the memories he is making, and am so happy to see how much he has grown. I know he will be four long years away from home and a lot may change in the meanwhile, but I realize it is not the end of the world, nor our relationship. We talk almost every day and I have been able to see him mature much more than he ever would have at home.

So I keep my chin up and live for the long weekends and holiday breaks. For these are the times when my little bro comes back to visit, and my family is whole. Everything goes back to normal, which is the best feeling in the world.