I never realized how much having a younger brother has made my life that much more fun and made me generally a happier person. Growing up watching movies and TV shows about how infuriating younger siblings can be, I became rather conditioned to believe that my own younger brother was put on this earth with the sole purpose of annoying me.
Our fights over the TV’s remote control, suffocating each other with pillows and narcing each other out to our parents didn’t help in changing that feeling.
What I have failed to notice is that having a younger brother is quite the absolute opposite of that – sorry, Lizzie McGuire, but younger brothers are not the devil’s spawns. They are, as it turns out, some of the greatest, most valuable people siblings can be lucky enough to have in their lives. Here are a few reasons why:
1. He makes you laugh unconditionally
My own not-so-baby-anymore brother is perhaps the funniest person I know; he can literally have me in tears from laughing so hard. His hilarious sarcasm can instantly take a bad situation and turn it the other way around.
2. He knows all your flaws and still loves you
You can literally have the most ridiculous and annoying habits, but he will always love and accept you as you are. Sure, he will make a few jokes at your expense because of how much of an over-achiever you are or how sometimes you’re a bigger drama queen than Kanye West at the Grammys, but it’s all out of love.
3. He was, is and always will be your partner in crime
You: “Hey, how about we go knock on all the doors of the neighboring rooms in the hotel, claim we’re ‘housekeeping’, run, hide and watch the reactions of the confused strangers?”
Him: “Let’s do this!”
Yes, growing up, your younger brother will always be up to joining you in all your crazy, and often times silly endeavors; God bless our scheming souls.
4. He is blunt, honest and willing to give you truthful criticism
Younger brothers will never sugarcoat the ugly truth, nor will they ever feel the need to kiss up to you or shower you with fake compliments; they will tell you the real deal as is – no embellishments. Their constructive criticism can be in response to anything from your career change to your tacky choice of attire.
5. He will infinitely care for you without exerting unneeded dominance
I know, for a fact, that there are but a very very few number of people who care for me as my little brother does, for he will step out of his way to call me out when he believes I’m out of line or making a wrong decision.
He is, however, still my younger sibling, and so the general patriarchal dominance of this society mostly doesn’t meddle with our relationship. Therefore, I get all his care and support without the suffocating bossiness – WIN!
6. He has kept you company during boring events
Growing up, we’ve all been forced to go on trips to the dullest destinations without our friends or forced to go to family gatherings where the adults seem to have an aloof, and quite questionable, sense of humor.
Having your younger brother with you, because he didn’t have the luxury of ditching those events either, means you’ve always had a constant companion during those dreary times.
7. He gets you
That little goofball has grown up in the same household with you and has seen everything you’ve seen, basically, and so the bond you share with him is both undeniable and pretty much irreplaceable.
One look at him, and you two can be rolling on the floor with laughter in no time because of an inside joke you both managed to remember at the same time.
At the end of the day, you will realize that as you both mature, your frustrating younger brother will somehow magically transform into your best friend. You will also realize that through it all, he has been fun to have around, despite sometimes driving you absolutely nuts.
He is without a doubt a blessing, even though I’m pretty sure my 10-year-old self would definitely beg to differ.
WE SAID THIS: Don’t miss 15 Times Your Siblings Made Your Life Hell But You Still Love Them Anyway.
