I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve wanted a sister all of my life. Whether she were older or younger, I never truly cared. All I wanted was to have one at all. I mean, growing up with three older brothers was a bit intimidating. From baseball bats to paintball guns, I was surrounded by it all. I spent most of my younger years going to so many baseball and hockey games, I’m pretty sure I knew every rule to each sport by the age of 10.
While growing up, it was always me and the guys. Of course, I had a group of girls who I liked to hangout with as well, but for some reason we just never became the best of friends, and eventually grew apart. School recess consisted of playing basketball with boys and the weekends revolved around playing ditch-baseball and football. Now, you would think that when I was playing I’d be wearing gym clothes, but I was actually either decked-out in Lilly Pulitzer or Polo. Along with that, my mom always managed to sneak a bow onto my head that was bigger than my eight-year-old body.
Anyway, because of my upbringing, I have always thought that I understood men's mentality more than women's. I understand the significance of guys just wanting their guy time and the love for an ice-cold beer. I understand that sometimes anniversary dinners will consist of McDonalds (I’ll take a hamburger and a large unsweetened iced tea, please). I understand that, sometimes, the expectations that we see from power couples such as Jay Alvarrez and Alexis Ren, lead women to believe that that's what every relationship could and should be like. I also understand that in reality, it just can't.
Now, being in college, I think the one comment I get the most when people my age hear about my family is, “Good luck introducing boyfriends.” If you would have said that to the 15-year-old me, I would’ve agreed. The unconditional love that’s given to me from my brothers was, at times, overwhelming. I remember talking to my mom around that age about my fear of introducing a future boyfriend. She proceeded to tell me that I was just being dramatic and that it’ll be easy, but that never stopped the intimidation in my mind. As I’ve grown, I’ve grasped onto the fact that it’s nothing like what my imagination led me to believe (thankfully). Yes, my brothers are protective, but what brothers aren’t? They've dialed back a lot more than I would have ever imagined when I was younger, and I have come to the realization that I'm not the baby girl who is photographed in the picture above. As I've grown, so have they, and the relationship between all of us has become a lot stronger.
As I look back on how I was raised I can’t imagine it being any other way. My mom always told me that I was bound to have a sister at some point in my life and she was right. When my brother got married two years ago, I gained a sister-in-law. Her incredible talent of interior design, love for tequila, and similar shopping habits have created a bond unlike any other I’ve had in life.
I probably don’t say it enough to my siblings, though I probably should: thank you. Thanks for being great people and teaching me the aspect of respect and hard work within your own successes. As we all go out tonight and have a great time, remember the one thing John tells us before we drink: "Don’t be a coconut tonight."
