My sister, Alyssa, is 24 years old and the last sibling I lived with before she moved to college. At a young age, there were always constant arguments. Who’s letting the dog outside? Who’s unloading the dishwasher? Who’s taking the garbage out? I remember my sister always complaining about her food in the fridge being gone. So much that there would be a note on it saying Alyssa’s Do. Not. Touch. Being the youngest, I was always stuck in the back seat, the smallest room in the house, and the last to go anywhere. As we got older, it was like our arguments had never happened. 

My sister, Amber, 28, always watched me while our parents were gone. It wasn’t always sunshine and roses. I can still remember when she took my iPad away for no reason… And when I thought someone was trying to break into our house, it was just her outside in a ghost face costume trying to scare me. After all, I learned some valuable lessons: don’t drive like her. She got in so many accidents my parents made her pay for her insurance. 

My sister, Morgan, 27 years old, always took me on adventures. Without her, I would’ve been stranded sailing the sandbars in Mexico. She’s the sister who went scuba diving with sharks and stingrays with me when everyone else went shopping. The sister who took me rock climbing to keep me from staying inside all day. Without her, I wouldn’t have picked up some of my favorite hobbies, like playing guitar. The only downside to visiting her in Tennessee is her pet tarantula, which I worry about escaping while sleeping. 

My brother, Matt, is 38 years old. Matt is the brother who showed me how to be an uncle, with him having a family of his own. I always liked his birthday gifts as a kid, too. A slingshot, a BB gun, and a ton of fishing lures. I’ll never forget our summer days on the boat fishing until I turned into a tomato. My favorite part about visiting him was his dog, who knows how to skateboard. 

My brother, Jonathan, is 41 years old and the brother I compete with most. I have always tried to be better than him in everything, but he still beats me. He is a Navy chief and someone I will always look up to. Deer camp hunting with him every year is something I won’t forget. He always manages to shoot a more giant deer than me. I remember ice fishing with him all the time as a kid. He always lets me reel the tip-ups in. 

As I get older, I see more of what family is to me. My siblings help me navigate life and show me what they wish they had done. Without them, I would make some of the same mistakes that someone who doesn’t have a role model would make. They are the ones I can tell anything to without worrying about consequences.