When you give a girl an older brother, you give her a playground protector. The moment she's born and her older brother holds her, he doesn't know it, but he is already wrapped around her cute little finger. They may torment and pester each other at home, but the moment they walk out the door, he's constantly watching over her and looking out for her best interests. When she grows up and brings home a boy for the first time, it's not only her dad that's greeting the young man at the door with a firm handshake and possibly a shotgun at their side but also her older brother. Her older brother will be her protector for as long as he lives because the one thing they never want to see is their little sister hurt.

When you give a girl an older brother, you give her a shoulder to cry on. Even though he's her protector, there are some things in life he won't be able to protect her from. Like when she falls off her bike for the first time, or when she has her first heartbreak, or when she doesn't get the job she's always dreamt of. There are many things in life that will knock her over, and she will cry. The first person that will offer their shoulder will be her older brother. When their little sister does get hurt, because that's just how life works, he will be there for her no matter what.

When you give a girl an older brother, you give her an immunity to nasty smells. Typically, boys are very messy and very dirty. When they come home from soccer practice and leave their smelly shin guards and cleats sitting out in the game room, she won't even notice because she's so used to it. The upstairs will consistently smell like dirty laundry and overpowering Axe cologne, but it's nothing new to her. Her older brother will most likely use her bathroom when he needs to go number two, or he'll surprise her by farting right next to her and running away while laughing, but soon that will become a typical Tuesday night. One day, when she's living with her husband, she'll thank her brother for how disgusting he was because then she understands and accepts her husband's nasty-smelly-self.

When you give a girl an older brother, you give her the opportunity to be "one of the guys". Being "one of the guys" is where you join your brother and his friends in an all-nighter video game tournament. Or you join them on a ride to Walmart to pick up snacks and a movie from Redbox. Or you join them in a game of Poker and beat all of them. You don't always have to ask to join them, you just do it, and hope he doesn't kick you out of the room. Being "one of the guys" may not be fun for your older brother because y'all compete over everything you do, but being "one of the guys" means the world to her because she thinks she's special and cool since she gets to hang out with guys that are older than her.

When you give a girl an older brother, you give her her worst critic. Brothers aren't afraid to be rudely blunt to you because they know you'll love them no matter what. If you ask your older brother what he thinks of your outfit (even though you know he has no sense of fashion), he'll tell you what he really thinks of it, which will most likely be something like, "You look weird with that shirt on", "Put more clothes on, you look like a prostitute", "You're too tall in heels, take them off", or the simple, "I don't know, I guess you look alright". Soon she'll learn to only go to him when she wants a real answer and not something to boost her confidence because the only day they'll tell you that you look pretty is on your wedding day (hopefully).

When you give a girl an older brother, you give her a role model. A role model is someone you look up to and try to imitate. Your older brother is someone you will always look up to because he's older than you, and you'll want to be just like him. If he's out playing soccer with his friends and doing some really cool tricks, you'll most likely try and join them or you'll practice those tricks on your own time and show him when you've perfected them. If your older brother is watching a certain show and he thinks it's good, then you'll probably end up watching it with him or sometime down the road. Your older brother is someone who has taught you a lot without realizing it, and the learning will never end.

Most importantly...

When you give a girl an older brother, you give her a built-in best friend. They may not be super close when they're younger, but I can assure you that when they grow up, they will realize how important their brother(s) have been in their life. They will text each other almost every week to see what new stuff they're up to and what cool things they have planned for the future. When they see each other, it's like they're back in their childhood sharing secrets about where Mom hid the cookies. Your older brother will be the best friend you've always had and always will have.

Having an older brother may have a lot of ups and downs to it and you may not agree with one another, but you will always love each other in the end.

When you give a girl an older brother, she will be forever thankful for the memories they've shared.