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Student Life

An Open Letter To My Older Sister

"The best thing about having a sister was that I always had a friend."— Cali Rae Turner

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An Open Letter To My Older Sister
Laura Coffin

Let me start by saying this: you have no idea the impact you have on my life.

Being the younger sister is tough. Naturally, everything you have to go through your older sister has already done. Whether she got through it flawlessly or with mistakes, you're somehow expected to match her or do better. I'm not sure in what world parent's thought it was cool to make some Hunger Games' style parenting, but it exists. All the teachers in school will gush about how amazing she is and how well she did in their class, followed up with saying they expect the same from you. They say this as if there was a prerequisite that you weren't going to try hard at all. They felt like they were supposed to let you know they were expecting more of you before you even had the chance to give it to them.

Every mistake you make is followed up with two different things. The first is something like "Your older sister did this already, didn't you learn from it?" She might even say this to you herself. If your sister didn't make this mistake before, then you'll receive a "Why did you do this, your older sister would've never pulled something like this."

And of course no matter how much you beg or plead, she won't share her clothes with you. What's hers is hers, and don't you forget it.

But we all forget why we need them.

Through all the fights, tears, and heart breaks, they're there.

Through the failed tests, the ended friendships, and the late nights where you took some risks, they're there.

Through the 2am floor talks in her bedroom, the mall shopping trips, and the frantic phone calls, they're there.

There's a reason your older sister came before you. Your older sister exists to make mistakes to keep you from making them. They brave the front of it all. And despite the amount of times you steal her stuff, she still wants to help. She'll be there when you get a 96 on the midterm you studied days and weeks for and you want to celebrate. She'll be there when you and mom get into a fight and you need to vent about. She'll be there when you're in love, out of love, or somewhere in between. She'll be there when you need it the most, or even when you don't need it at all.

You teach me the lessons that school can't teach. Every day, I am a better person because of you. Through the highs and lows, you'll always make sure I'm there to see another day. And you'll view it right beside.

And I wouldn't want it any other way.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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