Her Campus Logo Her Campus Logo
scott webb 1ddol8rgUH8 unsplash?width=719&height=464&fit=crop&auto=webp
scott webb 1ddol8rgUH8 unsplash?width=398&height=256&fit=crop&auto=webp
Photo by Scott Webb from Unsplash
Life > Experiences

Watching My Little Brother Grow Up From College

Delaney Chase
The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at SBU chapter.

Throughout the last few years, I have gone through many different milestones that have shaped who I am today. Moving in, starting classes, making new friends, all the things college students do. So much has been happening in my own life I forgot other people I love were also experiencing new things. 

This year it hit me a little harder that my brother is growing up. He started his junior year of high school, passed his driver’s test, went to his first homecoming, and got his first girlfriend. All of which I was not present for. 

I heard about the big things he was going through via pictures, text messages, and phone calls. 

These things were very difficult for me to miss out on because he was there when I went through all these big experiences. He was in the car when I first got behind the wheel and rolled his eyes as I was getting homecoming pictures with my friends. Even if he didn’t want to be, he was there for me, and I feel really guilty that I can’t do the same for him.

When we were kids, my brother and I used to fight a lot, and I mean A LOT. Fist fights and screaming matches were a daily occurrence in my household, but at the end of the day, we would make up and play catch in the backyard or watch our favorite Disney movie. 

Now that he is a little more grown up, he looks to me for advice. This is something I honestly never thought would happen. I helped him decide how to ask his girlfriend to homecoming and he asked me if I thought the necklace he picked out for cute. Recently, he asked me if when he goes to college, he will have to ask the professor to go to the bathroom. A silly question, yes, but it still made me feel like I am being a good older sister.

The most shocking part of all of this, I think he might be turning out to be a good person. He cares about others and would do almost anything for those he loves. In some ways, he is even better than me. He knows how to stand up for himself and even say no when he doesn’t want to do something, which I really need to work on. Maybe he will give me some advice this time.  

As I have gotten older, I realized no one is really there for you like your siblings are. He is the only other person on this planet who grew up the same way I did. There are so many things we experienced that will bond us for the rest of our lives.  

So, even though I hate my brother, I still love him.

Delaney Chase is the co-campus correspondent for the St. Bonaventure University Her Campus chapter. She works with the other campus correspondent and various board members to communicate with the rest of the Her Campus community as well as edit articles and lead weekly meetings. Delaney is a junior and is currently studying journalism and political science. She also is a writer for TAP into Greater Olean, an online news platform in the St. Bonaventure area, as well as a captain of the St. Bonaventure Women's Club Basketball team and Vice President of SBU for Equality. She enjoys hearing and sharing experiences with those of similar interests and enjoys being involved in different activities across the SBU campus. She finds this a great way to gain connections with those at her university and in nearby areas. She is enjoys the ability to gain experience and further her knowledge of the communications field. Outside of her time in school, Delaney loves listening to Taylor Swift and will take absolutely any opportunity to bring her up in conversation. She can often be found at the campus Starbucks with her friends ordering a pumpkin spice latte or brown sugar oat milk shaken espresso. She enjoys reading classic novels but also loves watching the trashiest reality TV shows.