“Here’s to real heroes, not the ones who carry us off into the sunset but the ones who help us choose our princes.” ~ E.M. Tippetts

For those of you who don't know, I have two older brothers. My oldest brother is 16 years older than me, and my other brother is 11 years older. With those age gaps, it's not hard to guess we weren't always best friends. By the time I was old enough to start school, one brother was in college, and the other had one foot out the door. By first grade, I thought I was an only child, that's how close we were, but it wasn't their fault. I can't blame them. Who wants to tote around their kid sister at that age? Especially a child who was as annoying as I know I was. We didn't truly get along till I was about 16. Nevertheless, I learned more from them than I ever learned from anyone else.

There are some things that you just can't talk to your parents about, or at least I didn't want to, and that was boys. I was taught that only a guy with good intentions could look your daddy in the eyes and shake his hand. My brothers taught me that boys usually never have good intentions at a young age. Let me tell you, while dads are good at weeding out the good guy from the bad, big brothers are even better. All it takes is one look, and they can tell you if he is worthwhile or not. If you are stubborn, as I was, when it came to a guy, they can place a few calls and find out all the dirt on the boy in question, at the drop of a hat. Brothers are also the best at mending hearts, making you smile through your tears, and making you realize, while you may not want to hear it, there are other fish in the sea.

Big brothers will, usually, come to your aid if you get yourself in a bad situation. They will always want to believe their little sister. Nevertheless, let me go ahead and warn you, if you never want to see a look of disappointment that will break your heart in two, just follow my advice. Never cry wolf if you've gotten yourself into a bad situation. It may be hard, but just tell your brothers what happened and they will more than likely bail you out anyways. However, never blame someone else and let your brothers find out they came to your rescue unaware of what was going on.

People are more superficial and shallow than you want to believe. The younger of my two brothers, the middle child, is now 32 years old. Around the time I turned 16, my brother started growing his beard... he went from the poster boy for a Hollister commercial to what I liked to call my personal hippie brother. Let me say, my brother had more "friends" than he could count; he could have any girl he wanted. However, when he grew his beard out, stopped wearing Hollister and other name brand clothing, and stopped caring about what people thought of him-- long behold, people stopped being so accessible. Nevertheless, he made real friends, genuine friends upon which he could count. Individuals who didn't care about how he looked on the outside, but rather the amazing guy on the inside.

If you ever want to learn what to drink, how to pour, and how much to consume, just ask your older brothers. However, if you happen to not listen to your brothers about the amount of consumption, they also know how best to rid yourself of the hangover symptoms. Don't take this the wrong way; my brothers aren't alcoholics, and they aren't advocates for underage drinking. My oldest brother has owned a bar for the past three years, and I was lucky enough to work for him, learning everything he knows. He taught me the difference between an east coast and a west coast IPA. The younger of the two brothers, of course, gets to explain to the sister to just take another shot of the poison that's ailing you. While your parents usually don't want you to learn about alcohol until you're at least 21, your brothers were young more recently, and they'd like you prepared for whatever situation you might find yourself.

Finally, if your father, for one reason or another, doesn't make it to your wedding, you'll always have someone to walk you down the aisle. While your daddy may always be the most important man in your life, your brothers will always be your knights in shining armor. My brothers taught me that I not only had one man in my life who would always look out for me and my heart, I had three. I implore you never to let silly indifferences come between you because your brothers are the most reliable people when push comes to shove. They are your blood, and usually, when worst comes to worse, they will be there for you; even when no one else is left standing behind you.

Brothers, usually, always have their baby sister's best interests at heart, and they will more than likely do anything they can to ensure your happiness. Parents are generally selfless when it comes to their children, but let a guy's little sister get into trouble, and you will see him walk through fire to get to her. Never doubt the love of a brother, it's probably some of the strongest love in the world. While not all families are ideal, and some are downright horrific, even in some of the most unstable households, I've seen brothers come out fighting for their sister when need be.

Don't lose sight of family, because, sometimes, your family is all you got left.