When I think of the people or things I miss the most from home, I always think of my little brothers. I am the oldest and only daughter with two little brothers. When I left for college, I knew it would be hard to leave them, but I did not fully understand the things I would miss or think about while being apart.
When I lived at home, I always tried to be an involved older sister. I would attend every sports game, pick up or drop off from practices, and always did my best to know what was going on in their individual lives. But being away, it has been hard to stay as involved as I once was. My home is four hours away, so unfortunately going home constantly is not a realistic option. I still do everything I can to be involved, but it’s hard. Just like every other relationship that I left, it is never easy going from being together all the time to Facetime calls and texts updating each other. I used to be at every game, but now I watch through my phone and check scores.Â
My middle brother is only two and a half years younger than me. As he has grown up, our relationship has become more of a friendship and dynamic duo. Many of my high school classmates would dread the silent rides to school and what would be an awkward encounter with their siblings in the hallway. But seeing my brother in the hallway was always so exciting to me. He came into high school as a freshman in my junior year, it was relieving to have him in the same school that I was once alone in. I watched him grow into the man he has become, and while I no longer have a front-row seat, I am so grateful to have that relationship at school that I wish I had with me at college.Â
My youngest brother is truly my muse. I will always admire his attitude, quick comebacks, and ability to be completely himself. I share many qualities with my youngest brother. We can both be stubborn, occasionally overconfident and have a subtle shopping problem. I am seven years older than my youngest brother but he is one of my best friends and always will be. When I have gone a while without going home, I always miss my youngest brother which tells me it’s time for a visit. Our age gap makes it a little more difficult to find things we both enjoy doing, but over the summer, we both fell in love with pickleball. We found something that we both enjoyed and that sparked the competition that we both love.Â
Leaving my little brothers has been hard. As the oldest sibling, I feel a responsibility for them, but maintaining that from a distance has been difficult. My brothers will always be my best friends and the people I most admire.