As the oldest of three, I pride myself in having two of the most wonderful little people I could ever be blessed with as a younger brother and sister. My younger brother just reached the golden age of 16 while my little sister just entered the dreaded teenage years. One of the reasons why I love being the oldest is because I’ve seen them flourish and evolve into their own individual selves. I’ve seen their personalities change over time, picking up habits from people around them that influence them or things they learn. Their accomplishments quickly became mine, while their lows hurt me even more than it did to them.

One of the hardest transitions for me when I moved away from home to start college was leaving my brother and sister. The gap between our ages, in addition to the distance, was a barrier that we had to learn to overcome. I can only imagine how hard it is to grow up with an older sibling and share time with them every day only to have them move on to college. My heart breaks just thinking about it. Fortunately, I think my siblings and I have found a good balance and conquered the long distance sibling relationship. Still, there are a couple of things that I’d love to share with the both of you.

To my little sister: you are a golden star and don’t you ever forget it. You may not know, but your charming sense of humor, your spontaneous laugh, and your quirky sense of style make me smile on the daily. I know being thirteen is tough. Trust me, been there, done that. It’s an awkward stage of life where you’re trying to solidify your friends, find “your thing” that you are particularly good at, and, well, find yourself. Believe me when I say this: you will get through this. Everything will work out and be perfectly fine. My advice to you is to stay true to yourself. Stay positive and be confident that you are the best “you” out there. You shouldn’t conform to anyone or try to look, be, or act a certain way just to please others. Another piece of advice: listen to mom. She loves you and cares for you so deeply that even though she may say something that angers you or annoys you, she’s doing it because it’s what’s best for you. There were so many times that I was a bratty teenager for no reason. Now I look back at that and regret it so much, so I encourage you to be the nice young little lady I know that you are. Always remember that you are infinitely talented and everyone you meet is lucky to know someone as radiant as you.

To my little brother: you bring me so much inevitable joy and you don’t even know it. Even though you never text back in our sibling group message (or text me back in general) I’d like to say that I know you miss me as much as I miss you. Every moment I see you growing up, whether it be you driving your friends around because you can now legally drive alone (ah!) or you going to prom in a few short months (what ok bye) I shed a tear. I am so proud of what a respectable and caring guy you are. Your sarcastic sense of humor, friendly personality, and brilliant way of thinking are just a few things that make you so special. I encourage you, too, to stay true to yourself. There are always going to be people that give into peer pressure to be “cool” or to fit in. I have no doubt in my mind that you wouldn’t do this, but just in case, don’t do it, it makes you seem immature and insecure. Another piece of advice is to always be the nice guy, regardless of what anyone says. As a girl, I can tell you that being a genuine guy will get you very far in life. Keep setting your standards high and making high goals for yourself.

I’m so excited to grow with both of you and watch you accomplish everything you dream of. There is no doubt in my mind that you two will be one of the most successful people I know. Thank you for allowing me to be the proudest big sister around.