Pretty Little Secrets Series: The Secret to Having a Younger Sibling

The day my younger brother was born was one of the absolute greatest days of my entire life. When you are younger, life with your sibling is quite simple. You are able to watch them learn, grow and develop their own sense of self during truly adorable stages of their early lives. Plus, they are insanely fun to watch. As they continue getting older, you may have this feeling of honor as you see them take on new learning experiences, challenges and friendships that start shaping who they are as people.

When my brother was growing up, all I wanted to do was protect him in any way, shape and form that I could, and I still do. Because of this, it can be so easy to want to jump into a semi-parental role as we guide them with our advice through telling them what to do. This is where the happy medium comes into play—you must give advice as a best friend would. They will look to you to seek knowledge on how to go about life since you have lived more of it, and they naturally look up to you for being their older sibling.

The crucial part of giving solid advice is also creating a foundation of trust between the two of you. Just because they messed up in a way that you probably did when you were their age, it does not mean you should run straight to your parents to tattle. Surely we did that more as kids, but it does not fly as much anymore.

I know I only ever want the best for my brother. I work hard each week to remind him how insanely special he is to not only me, but the world. I have to constantly take the time to put myself in his shoes because I never grew up having a sibling to look up to as I went through the early stages of my life.

The bond between siblings is unreal because they are the person who will always be stuck with you, through thick and thin. They understand your quirky family dynamics in a way that no one else who enters your life ever will.

My own brother has surpassed my height, so I now get a new sense of protection from him everywhere we go. As your siblings continue to get older, they will be able to return the favor of giving you a shoulder to cry on every once in a while. Think about it—they know you and your life better than anyone. And this includes knowing how to push every single one of your buttons, which is a skill to be quite frank.

The good thing is that siblings will never hold back from giving that brutal sense of honesty that your parents or friends may hold back from time to time. That is something to be appreciated. Take advantage of the time you have together. Listen to their stories about what is actually happening at school, go do things together just the two of you and always have an open line of communication. You want to ensure that they can call you at any hour of the day so you can still act as their superhero, no matter how big or small the problem may turn out to be.

Though, I know that distance won't change a thing, it can be hard to live away from your siblings. Mine turned out to be my best friend and that is one of life's greatest gifts to me. Make sure to soak up every moment you can between you and your siblings. You won’t regret it!

Catch you on the next installment of Pretty Little Secrets!