As St. Patrick’s Day approaches most people think about the Luck of the Irish; specifically why they consider themselves lucky. For me, I consider myself lucky because I have a big sister.
If you are lucky enough to have been given a sister, big or little, then you are indeed one of the luckiest individuals in the world. But having a BIG sister is an experience like no other, and it’s a big factor as to why I turned out the way I did. (Which I like to assume is a good thing) Big sisters don’t only teach you how to curl your hair or tell you what Coach wristlet you should get for your tenth birthday, but they teach you how to be happy, genuine, and compassionate. Because they’ve been there and done that already, they always (usually) know exactly what to say and do. And when they do give you the most perfect advice, you think to yourself, “Holy crap thank god for my big sister.”
Big sisters are the absolute best because you can go from hysterically laughing on your kitchen floor to chasing each other up the stairs with wooden spoons ready to pull one another’s hair out; and yet, she would still do absolutely anything for you. The age difference between the two of you is simply a number when you both start acting like five year olds together. And I can promise you’ll be acting like this with one another even when you have your own kids, and grandkids, too. You’re really two of a kind, and you couldn’t appreciate her anymore. Yet, you always know she’s older than you and when she says stop, you stop. And you respect that unspoken rule, because that’s the way it should be, right?
Big sisters will constantly put you before themselves. It’s not because they have to, it’s because they genuinely want to. It’s pretty rare when others stop doing what they’re doing in order to help someone else. But when it comes to your big sister, she would drop absolutely anything and everything to make sure her baby sis is OK. Big sisters are like much younger, cooler, toned down versions of moms. That may sound weird, but if you think about it for a second, you can totally relate.
Your big sister has already gone through high school prom, breakups, and freshman year of college. She has already taken several bullets for you without you even asking her to. She’s really just doing her job. As a result, you know the do’s-and-don’ts of growing up as girl. She has already called your parents asking her to pick her up from a house party, and she’s already purchased her fake ID from a sketchy man in NYC. Your parents are either thinking that their second daughter isn’t nearly as crazy as their first, or they’re just too tired of worrying and know that you’ll turn out alright. Even when your big sister doesn’t even mean to teach you a lesson, she ultimately ends up having a huge influence on you, no matter what she does.
Big sisters want their little sisters to be the better, cooler, smarter, versions of themselves. Whether it’s buying a certain romper, dating a specific boy, or getting into a fight with a friend, big sis will always make sure to give you her opinion, even when you didn’t ask for it. But you wont get angry! Why, you ask? Because you know she always has your best interest at heart. Your big sister is the older cool kid who will never make fun of you or make you do something you don’t want to do. She’s that cool older girl who you look up to and respect more than anyone.
To end this rant as to why big sisters are a gift from God, I want to say that the most important lesson they can teach us is that life goes on and to not dwell on the past, but be happy and hopeful for the future. They were able to survive all their “worst days ever”, so us little sisters should be able to, too. They teach us what it is like to be genuine and outgoing without worrying about what others may think of us. They teach us what it means to mature and what its like to grow up, even though it is really scary. Go ahead and give your big sister a hug, just because. They may cringe and think they have a really weird younger sister, but then again they still, and always will, love you.