Dear Brother,

As your sister, you can absolutely guarantee that I am ALWAYS going to judge and dissect every little detail about any girl you might ever possibly consider bringing home. I’ll go full investigation, FBI mode on her poor soul. You can bet I’ll stalk her Instagram, creep her Facebook, and read her tweets because that’s my job. Then, if she passes the background check, you know you got yourself a good one. I know how crazy girls can be and I’ll only allow the best for you.

With that being said, don’t be a dick. Though I won’t always be there to remind you not to be mean to girls before you go out, I trust that you know how to treatthem. Actually, I KNOW that you know how to treat them because YOUR mom is MY mom and I know damn well she’s raised you right.

And Brother, know that we’re some of the very few lucky ones who have witnessed only love our whole lives. Don’t take that for-granted. Too many kids come from broken homes these days. So, I hope that you notice the way dad loves and respects mom as much as I do. I hope he has shown you the way a man should treat a woman, just like he’s shown me how a woman should be treated. Keep in mind, this goes for not only the one you love, but for all the girls that will come before her. I hope that as you get older and experience more of the world, you remember this.

Unfortunately, our generation has negatively changed the meaning of relationships. I hope you can start changing it back. Restore hope in the girls who believe that all boys are jerks. Make her believe in good guys. Let me try to help, don’t be mean to her. Don’t use her. Don’t play her. Don’t lead her on. Don’t make her cry. Don’t be stupid. Be a man. Be honest. Be smart. Be respectful. Be sensitive. Be genuine. Be yourself.

It’s simple, really. Us girls don’t ask for much. Take her to dinner. Shake her father’s hand. Hold the door. Pay for her ticket. Send her good morning and good night texts. Post a picture with her here and there. Pretend you’re listening. Tell her she’s pretty every so often. Encourage her to keep her standards high by showing her that gentlemen do still exist.

And then if it doesn’t work out, be grateful you learned from her. If she cries over you, I hope it’s only because she’s heartbroken that such a good guy got away, and not because YOU broke her heart with your actions. Leave her with nothing poor to say about you.

I hope you treat the ladies the same way you would want your sisters to be treated, in a way that would make our parents proud. Nothing makes you more of a man than knowing how to properly treat a woman. Heartbreak sucks, don’t be the reason she hates love.

Oh, and Brother, one last thing. Make sure SHE treats YOU right too, the way mom treats dad. Don’t settle for anything less and don’t let HER break YOUR heart because if she does, I’ll hate her for eternity. For that’s also my job. I only want the best for you. You deserve it.

Love Always,

Your (slightly) Over-Protective Sister xoxo