Growing up with a big brother can be the best of both worlds. They make you laugh right after making you cry. They pick on you to no end, but get defensive when anyone else dares to give their little sister a hard time. And even though all siblings have seen their ups and downs, having an older brother has become one of the greatest blessings I’ve come to know.

They’re your safety net even when you don’t ask.

Ever since I can first remember, my brother was always the first person to come to my rescue. Whether it was with guys, friends, or even difficulties in school; if he saw that I needed help, he always showed up to be there for me. As a young woman, going through life changes is constant. We meet people and we lose people; we make decisions that end in hard lessons and sometimes tears. And even though the process of growing up can feel so hectic, my brother has remained the most consistent person close to my age throughout my life. He has watched me make good decisions, and he has watched me make bad decisions. But no matter what, at the end of the day even when I’m too embarrassed to ask, he has never failed once to be my safety net.

A go-to partner in crime.

When I was younger and even now, some of my greatest memories are ones that I made with my brother. Whether it was being six-years-old and building forts in the living room, to ditching our parents on vacation for a bar in Aruba when I was sixteen. I can always manage to have just as much fun with my brother, while also feeling like I was safe from any harm that could potentially come my way. In the end, there is no better bonding experience for a brother and sister than hanging out like best friends.

They will always understand you more than anyone.

When you’re raised in the same household as a person, you build an unspoken understanding of one another. You watch TV in the same living room, you get in trouble by the same parents, and you both understand the frustration of when your father calls you downstairs to ask how to send an email. Despite sometimes having separate lives and different friends, my older brother has become someone who knows me better than even my best friends do. The reason that is, is because I have never once had to feel the need to hide anything about myself from him. My older brother is someone who has seen me at my lowest and most vulnerable times. And for him to continue to love me unconditionally... that is how siblings build such a tight bond.

I’m not quite sure if all brother and sister duos are as close as my brother and I have become, but I can truly say if you have a brother, choose him as your person. Because at the end of the day, you will never have to worry about him wanting anything from you other than you to succeed. Sometimes I tease him and call him my second dad, but my older brother truly is my best friend. The love we have for our siblings is taught to us while we’re young, with our parents hoping that relationship is continued into our adult lives. My parents did teach my older brother and I to always be there for one another, but I can honestly say that no matter if he was my sibling or not, I would still be in awe of the person that he is.