If you give a girl a brother, she will have a built-in best friend. I was the only child for the first three years of my life, and while I am sure that I thoroughly enjoyed getting all the attention, I was so excited to get a little brother. I was little, so I don't remember much, but my mom has told me that I always wanted to hold him and wanted to help take care of him.

Sixteen-ish years later, I have two brothers and I couldn't ask for better ones. I can talk to them without worrying that they will gossip or tell someone right away, and I know that they will listen and potentially give me some surprisingly good advice. It's usually in the form of a joke or something lighthearted, but that makes it even better.

Though they are younger than me, I know that they will always look out for me. They teach me to enjoy the simple things in life and to not worry about silly things. We don't have the same worries or stressors right now because of our age differences, but it can be refreshing to see life through their eyes. They have taught me how different, but alike, we are.

If you give a girl a brother, you give her a protector. Though my brothers are younger than me, I know that they will always have my back. I know that they will always judge the boy I am with because they want the best for me. If anyone tries to hurt me, I know that they will come to my defense. If anyone trash talks about me, I would hope that they defend me, because I would do the same for them. My brothers will always have my best interest at heart and keep me safe.

If you give a girl a brother, you give her someone to wrestle with. Sisters typically don't wrestle or play fight, so when you're given a brother, things can change. Now there's someone you can just tackle if they're bothering you, and you have to be prepared to be tackled at any given time. They might go easy on their sisters because we're girls (unless they're my brothers), but it's fun nonetheless.

If you give a girl a brother, you give her someone to imagine with. Life would be different if I hadn't been able to play pretend with my brothers. Who would be Sharkboy when we played Sharkboy and Lavagirl? Who would be the Juni to my Carmen when we played "Spy Kids"? Who would be the dog when we played house? Without them, things wouldn't be as interesting.

If you give a girl a brother, you give her a partner in crime. It's easier to get away with something if you have someone doing it with you. It's also easier to place the blame on someone else if you have an accomplice. Sorry, mom!

If you give a girl a brother, you give her someone to fight with. While most days are good, there are rough times. Days when we say we hate each other and don't want to be around each other, days when we don't want to admit that we're related. Brothers can be really annoying, and I'm sure they can be just as annoyed by me. At the end of the day, no matter how much we fight, we know that we still love each other no matter what, and that's what counts.

If you give a girl a brother, she will miss him like crazy when she leaves home. I never knew how much I would miss my brothers until I left for college. It's so quiet without them here. I don't have anyone to wrestle with. I don't have anyone to pick on, or anyone to pick on me. It's insane how much I miss the silly little things. It's difficult being away from them, but it makes me appreciate being around them so much more when I finally have the chance to see them again.

If you give a girl a brother, she will forever be grateful. My relationship with my brothers is one of the most important relationships in my life. I love them more than they know, and I will always be grateful to have them. The universe really got it right when it brought these kiddos into my life.