I always knew I was meant to be a sibling; however, I was never one to bother my parents when it came to asking about the possibility of being an older sister. Time came and went, and I was content having the clan just be my parents and I.

Almost 7 years lasted, and it was time for me to become an older sister. I do not remember exactly when my parents broke the news to me, but my reaction was probably along the lines of “OK….” For 7 years, it was me and me alone. Now, the attention would be turned to someone else, but I was more than alright with it.

When my brother arrived, he was a ball of fat, so I knew he could keep up with me when it came to eating. I saw him as a toy, a play thing, not exactly a brother, but I knew he was someone I had to protect. Being the older sibling, regardless of your age, comes with a lot of responsibility: you have to protect, you have to serve as an example, you have to guide and steer.

As we grew up, I can say we were close at first. He was someone I could bother my parents with, someone I could watch TV with, someone I can play games on the Wii with. However, as I entered high school and he was still in elementary school, I saw the age difference creating more of a divide. We were into different things. We were growing up in different times (he also had an iPhone as his first phone while I had a flip phone, but I’m not bitter). We were just different. I did not see him as a playmate anymore. I saw him as that annoying little brother.

When I went off to college, we grew apart, and I will say I did not do well keeping in touch. I was so focused on myself and everyone at school that I forgot the person I was closest to at home. When I graduated and moved back home, my brother did not want much to do with me. He was about to be a high school freshman and just wanted to focus on his friends and girl of the week. It took a lot to rebuild the bond we had growing up; however, in hearing a friend talk about how he never speaks to his sister, and she never asks about what is going on with him, I am grateful that we stood a chance.

Nowadays, we are still getting to know each other, but our interests are more aligned. We both appreciate similar music, watch the shows, follow the same celebrities, and are able to have honest and intellectual conversations. The age difference will always be 7 years, but the gap does not seem as major anymore. We are siblings, but we are also friends. Now that he is about to enter his first year of college, I cannot wait to see how else he is going to shape his life and change the world.

Moral of the story: as you step into your new educational chapter, you’re going to be alright. College is such an up and down part of life, but you’re going to come out stronger. You do something to make me proud of you every week. I’ll be seeing your name on the front of fashion publications soon enough.