To My Sister’s Boyfriend,

Nobody will ever be good enough for her. I have deemed every guy she has ever been interested in below par. Maybe it is my sisterly bias coming out when I say that they all fall short, but she deserves the best. I know what my sister has to give, because she has been giving to me for 19 years. She will take care of you when you are sick, springing into action like it is her job. She will give you meaningful presents for each celebration (Christmas, Birthday, Valentine’s Day, etc.) and she will plan them for months and months; I know this because she will tell me all about it. She will struggle to keep this a secret because she will be so excited about giving you this expression of care and love. She will take charge of the house, making sure everything is clean and presentable for whoever may see, even if it is just the two of you. She will make human mistakes and say things at the wrong time or out of context, but she will always right her wrong. She will love you and stand by you even when life gets tough. She will be everything somebody is looking for in a life partner; she already is.

My sister has been my life partner for 19 years, but I know one day that is going to change. There will come a time when her late night conversations won’t be across the room with me. I will not be the only person she buys Starbucks for during her shopping trips. When she wants a partner to go to the bank or to the food store, I probably will not be the first one she calls. Most birthdays, I will not be there to jump onto her bed at midnight. When she has a bad day, I won’t be the one waiting at home to see that and figure out what is wrong. Slowly, you will take over some of the “jobs” I have held for two decades. You can see why I have been selective about my approval for whoever may one day take my place. Well, who am I kidding? Nobody is replacing me, so we will have to share.

Getting back to the point, though, sometimes my standards for her may be higher than my standards for myself (the same going for my other sister, as well). I am the real life equivalent of a strict father denying his daughter’s hand in marriage to a seemingly wonderful man, because he thinks she deserves more. After nearly two decades of family dinners, track practices, silly arguments, late nights laughing, and friendship, I am experienced in deciding what I think is best for her. While I may seem overprotective to some, it comes with reason. I want to see her succeed beyond the limits she imagines, live a life happier than she knew existed, and love more than she believed possible. That’s where you come in.

I thought nobody would ever be good enough for my sister. You proved me wrong. From the moment she first talked about you, I knew you were going to be a step above the rest. Finally, somebody was meeting all of the standards on my mental “Sister’s Boyfriend Application Checklist.” It seems she didn’t need my idea of what was best for her, after all. She found it herself. My sister is with somebody who is kind, patient, family oriented, determined, respectful, and a genuinely good person. Most importantly, though, I can see that she is with somebody who makes her happy and that is ultimately what I want. I can’t know what the future holds and I am not looking to jump ahead of myself. However, I can tell you that in the present, if I have to share her with anyone, I am glad it’s you.

Sincerely,

Your Girlfriend’s Overprotective, Highly Selective, But Fully Supportive Sister