There once was a time when I found out I was having a little brother and I felt as if the world was cursing me. My young sister and I literally threw ourselves on the ground and begged our parents not to have a baby brother and to “switch” him out for a girl. The thought of a boy running around our house and leaving his boy germs all over the place was repulsive to say the least. But now, I can’t imagine my life without my little brother.

Being five years older, watching him grow literally and metaphorically has been an incredible experience. I’ve seen him change over the years from a naïve little toddler into a respectful kid. One of the best moments I share with my brother is when he has trouble sleeping and comes to me and we watch a movie or talk until he falls asleep. There’s nothing more special than when your sibling comes to you when they’re scared or troubled.

I’ve seen him get better at sports to the point where I was actually jealous at how fast he learned new skills and mastered them. For instance, the kid literally switched from snowboarding to skiing in one day and surpassed my (mediocre) skills within minutes.

Another luxury I have had is to teach him the things that I know like how to treat people. I know that he looks up to his two older sisters, so I always felt like I needed to be my best self so that he would know to do so as well. And he did just that. He became his best self and more. His kindness is overwhelming and every single person he meets comments on his outstanding manners. It is so important to me that he respects others because that is truly the most important quality one can have in my opinion.

Most of all, I am so grateful to always have a little brother there to squeeze and make fun of because to me he will always be my little brother. There are times I wish I could get back at him for hitting me and chipping my tooth or the time he hit me in the head with a metal bat, but at the end of the day, you get past that stuff. I get past that stuff because I love my little brother so much that the little things just don’t matter.

I wonder what my life would be like without him. I know that it would be so much duller. I wouldn’t be the person I am today, and I would not care as much about respect and being a role model. While maybe I would be less bruised, my life would be much less purposeful without my little brother.