At the ripe age of 20, I thought I knew what coming home from college would look like. Since my siblings were six and eight years older than me, and had their own places, I got to come home from school and be the only child. During my junior year of college, that all changed when my parents brought home a new baby girl, my first cousin from Texas.
She was still a teenager when she came to live with us, and everyone had their worries: How would she react to our 7 large breed dogs? This is a huge change, what are all the ways we can support her? What if she’s allergic to something and we don’t know until its too late?
My dad even once called to ask “What could I change to be a better father for her?” It is nothing short of a blessing that all of those worries, those concerns, didn’t stop us from seeing the light that she brought to our family.
My little sister, which is what I was calling her only two days after we reunited, my little sister is the best parts of all of us. A day hasn’t passed where I’m not thankful for the strength, confidence, and chocolate chip cookies that she brings to our home. I remember praying for a little sister every night when I was little, I never thought those prayers would be answered ten-fold.
This blog post is a dedication to sisterly-relationships, big sisterhood, and most importantly, my little sister! Here is my list of things they don’t tell you about having a little sister:
They are Stronger than Anyone Knows
Little sisters are the most capable people you will ever come to know, handling every strife with grace, I am in awe of their strength. They are not afraid to fail because they know they have the power to make things right again. My dancer, who goes “full out” every time she hears a familiar beat. My singer, who sings with raw emotion every time, no matter where she is. My sister, who puts her whole heart into everything she does, who is confident at her core. If you meet her you will be stunned at her ability to see the bright side in everything, that is strength, and that is my sister.
You Become a Mini Parent
Being an older sister puts you in a particularly interesting position when something happens with your younger sister: Your parents look to you for advice. This new role is surprising, but one I take pride in. I want nothing more than to see her become the best version of herself, and with this role I am always sure to advocate for her needs, explain to her our parents point of view, and to show my parents her point of view. Taking her to soccer practice, making sure we have the groceries our picky eater likes to cook, it’s all a part of the game of being parent #3. I follow a ton of “gentle parenting” accounts on Instagram and am always trying to apply those theories to the way I speak, react, and am around my sister. As much as she is my parents’ baby, she is my baby, and no one ever told me how much work goes into being a parent.
You’ll Never be Without Chocolate Chip Cookies
Little sisters are the perfect dessert buddies. When you want a sweet treat, they usually want one too. Prepare to have a buddy for every ice cream, churro, and cookie run. But beware, if you’re someone who likes to bake, there will always be a little monster over your shoulder, asking you to make chocolate chip cookies.
As Much as You Respect them, They Respect you
When I first received my special little package, it was difficult to find our standing with eachother. What you come to find out is, as much energy, love, and respect you pour into your sister, is how much you’ll receive back from them. Pecking order is real, but there is a better order in the respect that you share for one another. Everything in life is give and take and in this respect exchange that we have, I have found I learned so much about not just sisterhood, but how to better my relationships with everyone.
Their Energy Levels are Far Beyond Yours
I didn’t know I was this old until I had someone gasping everytime they heard my age, what makes me feel even older is seeing how much a five year difference can make in energy levels. When you get to be my age an ideal saturday night is a little snack while you curl up on the couch with a blanket, your lap dog, and the worst Tubi movie you could find. Little sisters can wake up and do a 3 mile jog, go to practice for both sports they’re in then ask if you could take them to the mall. Sure I might be exaggerating, but it could happen. This isn’t a bad thing though, no matter how much older you are, having a younger person around you reminds you how much life you have to live and to take advantage of every moment you have to do so. Your energy levels may never meet theirs, but putting yourself in the mindset of being ready to take on the world just makes your life that much better.
They Just Want to be Around you
They love you. They enjoy experiencing your world as much as you enjoy experiencing theirs, so when you sit on the couch to watch Here Comes Honey Boo-Boo, they do too. They’ll hear a song from your playlist and add it to theirs. They’ll hop in the car with you just to stop at McDonalds. Your presence is everything to them and their presence is everything to you. With a little sister, you learn how important time is to a relationship, whether that’s sitting on the couch with both of your feet in the table, scrolling on your own devices, or chatting it up with your other sisters about everything and nothing at all, that time is special. Being in eachothers presence is safety.
It’s a Rewarding Experience
I cried writing this, I cried editing this, I cried while looking at pictures of her, I find myself crying all the time because I get to experience a little sister, this little sister. To be able to go her soccer games and cheer her on, having someone to borrow rubber bands from, what they don’t tell you about having a little sister is how rewarding it is. To watch someone grow into a kind, even stronger than before, fantastically presenced human being is the most rewarding experience. You cannot fathom the love and excitement that comes from having a little sister. One of the best things to happen to me this year was her, and I am proud to say that I might be making her some chocolate chip cookies pretty soon!
Thank you for checking out my blog, and as always, Stay Alive and be All Over!