Being an older sibling has taught me responsibility—and time management.

When you have to babysit your six-year old sister after school, and go to your eleven-year old brother’s baseball games, all while you have a paper to write for the next day, you learn to keep track of time because you’ll always be there to support your siblings.

Whether it’s going to their annual spring ballet recital, or listening to them play Marry Had a Little Lamb on the piano to make sure they’re getting their practice in for the day.

Being an older sibling has prepared me for adulthood in that it has overall taught me to be organized; especially when they don’t seem to remember where the toy chest is in the living room and teddy bears, crayons, coloring books, and video games are sprawled everywhere.

It’s because of these small things over the years that being an older sibling has taught me to be compassionate, and to keep your loved one’s happiness a main priority.

Let’s face it; you may fight with your siblings from time to time, and they may get annoying at the worst times—but no matter what, you love them and you’ll always be there for them.

Being an older sibling means to give your brother advice when he’s having trouble with his friends at school, and to give him a helping hand when he needs help understanding how to do long division.

Being an older sibling means that you’ll probably get hundreds of colored stick-figure drawings from your younger sister, but you’ll hang a couple of them up in your room anyway because you maybe, just might like them. It means to go outside and play soccer with them, even if it means you have to wake up early on a Saturday morning sometimes.

Being an older sibling has prepared me for adulthood in the best way possible, it has taught me to be compassionate, caring, responsible, and patient—and I wouldn’t want it any other way.

I will carry these virtues with me through out life, wherever I may go.