For some of us, growing up with up with a sister means stealing clothes from their closet, sharing the same friends, going to the same school, and being close in age. But sometimes, that may not be the case. For me, my sister is 12 years older than I am. So yes, we do get the question asked every time we're in public, “Is that your mom? She’s so young!” No everyone, that’s just my older sister.

We may not share the same type of memories as other sisters would have that are similar in age. For instance, when I was younger, I would watch her hang out with her cool, 17 year old friends in the basement and hear them talk about high school, the next party they would be going to and everything else that involves a teenager life. I knew that I wanted to be just like her, because at the age of 6 I didn’t think anyone else was cooler than my older sister. We had started to grow a bond, or so I would like to think. She probably thought of me as her "annoying little sister," as every older sibling thinks. I would always be following her around, copying every word she says, liking the same things she liked, and more. I could go on and on.

I don’t know if she realized how much I valued her. I constantly looked up to her and was proud of everything she had done. She is and always has been a very hard worker. She never settled for anything. In school, she worked hard to get good grades so she could go to college in order to be where she is at today, a 7th and 8th grade history teacher. She has pushed me to work hard, not just in school but with everything I do. I know I can always go to her with advice about anything. I’m lucky to have such an age gap between us because she has already experienced the things I’m now experiencing at the age of 19. I know she always has my back and has always had my best interest at heart. In a way, she is like my second mother.

I knew while we were getting older, thinking when she gets married and when she has her own kids, that she was going to be an amazing mother. Seeing how she cared for me and did so much from such a young age until now, I knew she would be good at raising her own kids someday. I don’t think I would be who I am today without her. She's now married and has two of the sweetest boys, who are now one and three years old. I love spending time with them and being able to watch how she is with her children and family, so someday I can have that and be like her, too.

I'm thankful we are at two different stages in our lives. I appreciate the differences that we both hold in our own individual lives. I can learn and grow from that. I have always felt close with my sister. No matter what age we are, I would never change how it is, and I don’t think she would either because age is just a number.