If there’s one wish I could make, it’d be to be able to save you, my little sister, all the heartache, all the tears, all the sleepless nights that I’ve had to suffer through. I know as you grow up you want to experience life to the fullest, and on your own, but if only you could learn from my mistakes, life might be a little bit easier on you. The world is a scary place and I’ve learned that the hard way so that you don’t have to and you can stay my sweet sister forever.
I want to be able to tell you everything I wish I had known when I was growing up so that maybe your future will be brighter. If I could fight your demons for you I would, that’s how much I love you. But I can’t, so instead, I’ll be the big sister you can turn to when life becomes too much, the person you can run to no matter what time of day it is, no matter how minuscule the problem… I’ll be there, I promise.
There will be times in life when you’ll feel so overwhelmed you can hardly breathe. Sometimes, it will feel like there’s no coming back from it and that you will feel like this forever. But believe me, you won’t. It’s scary to feel alone and it’s even scarier to have to pick yourself back up, but you need to– and on your own. I know from the bottom of my heart that you are beyond capable of doing it and in the end, it’s only going to make you stronger. When you fight your own battles and stand up for yourself, you’ll grow as a person. I know you can conquer just about anything in this world if you put your mind to it. Plus, I’m just a phone call away to help.
If you trust every person who enters your life, you’re going to get hurt… a lot. People don’t always have the best intentions, especially guys. They will break your heart and be mean to you and it’s going to really suck, but it won’t last forever. And sooner or later, you’re going to be able to laugh about it with your friends, but it’s probably going to be later. When you get your heart broken I promise to be there for whatever you need. Whether it’s bringing you ice cream, listening to you vent, agreeing that the person who left you is an idiot or plotting revenge. You name it and I’ll be around. But just know, even if you don’t want to hear it, I will tell you when it’s time to move on. I’ll let you get it all out because heartache takes time but when it gets to that moment I’m going to tell you to snap out of it. This will show you how strong you are.
And just like boys, your ‘friends’ aren’t always going to be your friends. Your hometown friends might become the friends that you see once a year, or maybe even never again. And that is OKAY. It happens. People grow up and change, don’t hate them for not reaching out to you. There comes a time when you move on from each other, but don’t be upset about it. Remember your good times and smile when you think of them. You will eventually find your lifelong friends who will be there for you always and you will realize why your old friends aren’t your friends anymore.
But your parents will always be your parents no matter what. They are going to drive you crazy, and the rules are going to seem absurd and annoying. But I promise you they mean well. It took me a long time to figure this out. Even at twenty-something I still think some of the things they do and say are ridiculous. But eventually, you will come to realize that they are only doing it out of love. They just want to see you happy and to succeed.
You are truly one of the bravest people I know. You stand up for what you believe in, love with your whole heart, and do everything with the utmost kindness I’ve ever seen. You are one of the sweetest, most loving, strongest, stubbornest people I know. Don’t change that for anyone. You may be my little sister, but I look up to you. You inspire me every day without even trying. You make me believe in myself and encourage me to follow my dreams and to fight my own fights. You teach me more about myself.
You have both, directly and indirectly, taught me how to be patient, considerate, and responsible. I just hope I can do the same for you.
I always wished that I would be able to pass down all the lessons I’ve learned to you to help you be the best that you can be. There is one difference in what I teach you, and what you teach me: I pass down knowledge to you knowing that these are lessons you will inevitably learn yourself from life, with high hopes you never have to learn them the hard way.
But you, on the other hand, teach me how to be a protector and a better person. Whether you can see it or not, I will always be rooting for you.