A lot of people thought that I had some sort of inferiority complex when I was a child. I was only 4 years old when Mom brought you home. I remember looking at you for the first time, your eyes barely able to open, all snuggled up in a little blanket. I didn't know what you were at the time, but I knew that my life was going to change.
A few years into your childhood, I definitely started getting jealous. You were two when I would openly complain about not being able to sleep in the same room as Mom and Dad anymore because they had to have their full attention on you. It was at that age when all of our relatives would fawn over you whenever you were wheeled into the room on your heavy duty stroller.
You were six when you had your surgery, We had just moved to the United States when one night, you started complaining about terrible pains in your tummy .You were in and out of the hospital for weeks and even spent Halloween dragging your IV around with you as you wore your witch costume. I counted down the days until you got better again because I didn't want you to keep going through all that pain.
We became distant when you were in elementary school. It might have been an age thing. I was going through my teenage years while you were still learning long division. There were many things I wish I could talk to you about, but you were just too young to understand.
You're four years younger than me, and only halfway through high school. You're stubborn as hell, and you get away with it because you're the baby of the family. You haven't experienced the best parts about life yet, but you're wiser beyond your years. You're a better student (and volleyball player) than I ever was at your age, and as much as I don't want to admit it, I'm jealous.
I felt inferior to you when you were a baby because all eyes were on you all the time. I feel inferior to you as a junior in college because you're going through life without regrets, something I wish I knew when I was 15. You live so freely and it's a trait about you that I admire the most.
You deserve all the best opportunities that get thrown at you. You will experience heartbreak, loss, and a whole heck of a lot of disappointment. But you've got a heart of steel, and you will push through anything and everything.
I'm jealous, sure, but that doesn't mean I love you any less.
