We may not all have the privilege (and royal pain) of having a younger brother; but for those of us who do, we know our little brothers are a handful to deal with but are also our very best friends. Yes, they’re gross, still laugh at fart jokes, and are always ready to prank you or surprise-tackle you around a corner. You can count on them to mess up your hair, stink up your room, and poke you endlessly on long car drives. But you can also count on them to give you a hug or make you laugh the moment you need it most.
My younger brother is a sassy thirteen year old, and on the cusp of starting high school. He’s grown up a lot in this past year, and it’s been both heart warming and heart breaking to see him slowly but surely become a man. His input and advice, although at times immature, are invaluable to me. It’ll be interesting to see how his opinions change as he continues growing up. However, here are some of my favorite nuggets of thirteen- year-old boy wisdom he’s bestowed upon me lately…
1. Stay focused on all your classes… but also don’t forget to have fun. You’ll never be as young as you are in this moment, so enjoy it and don’t take everything so seriously.
2. Meet lots of new people!
3. Don’t get too high on the highs, or too low on the lows. (I honestly still don’t really understand what this means, but it’s his mantra so I guess I’ll go with it!)
4. Date guys with “swag.” Or even better, date guys that you meet at the gym, especially if they’ve been playing basketball. Those are the keepers.
5. NEVER wear crop tops out in public. And don’t wear too much makeup.
6. Be confident in who you are and what you’re good at.
7. Keep your room and computer desktop clean. (He has to remind me about the desktop one pretty often, not gonna lie…)
8. Don’t be afraid to be just a little bit quirky around people you’ve just met.
9. Stay away from your exes.
10. REPEAT. Stay away from your exes. And jerks in general.
11. And don’t kiss too many boys.
12. Sleep more. Eat healthy food.
13. Stick around with the smart people; being smart is cool.
14. Don’t attempt to twerk at parties. Learn how to be a better dancer in general.
15. Call your brother more often.
Yeah, my little brother is a pain. But he’s also my best friend and the most important guy in my life. I consider myself lucky to have him around to remind me to be a kid sometimes, too, and to take life a little less seriously. Some of his advice to me is sincere, most of it is silly, but all of it is priceless. It reminds me that even though he’s finally taller than I am, he’ll still always be my mini-me.