Having siblings can be both an amazing and awful thing. With fighting, hair pulling and biting, comes hugs, love, and many memorable moments. When you have siblings with such big age gaps, like my siblings and me, things can be challenging. Being 17 years old and having a baby sister, who is now two and a half, can be interesting. She is the greatest thing that has happened in my life and I am still in awe every day by how much love I have for such a tiny human.

Sometimes the age gap is difficult. We obviously aren’t the typical sisters portrayed in movies. We don’t do each other’s makeup or hair and we don’t gossip about boys, unless we’re talking about the boy at daycare she bit that day. But we share some pretty great moments, the two of us.

You would think it would be hard to connect with someone who is  almost 14 years younger than you, but it is the most natural thing ever. She is my best friend – which is odd to say, considering she is only two, but there is no other bond like the ones sisters have. Since we are sisters, we spend a lot time together and being so much older than her just makes it even better.

Because I was 13 when she was born, it is something I am able to remember and cherish more. Being able to see her grow from a tiny newborn to the toddler she is now is so amazing. My mom always told me, “time flies by when you have a baby in the house,” and that is so true. It feels like I was at the hospital holding her for the first time just yesterday. One of my favorite memories with her is when we first brought her home and she fell asleep on me when we were watching television together and now, two and a half years later, we still do the same thing.

We have days when just the two of us go to see movies, spend the day at the park or go out to eat, and just hang out at the house in our pajamas all day and watch Spongebob. One of the things I cherish the most are those days. I cherish these so much because I realize that once I leave for college, in the fall of next year, I won’t be around as much. This is the challenging part about being so much older than my sister.

Some weekends I have plans with friends and just being gone for two days, makes me miss her, and I am so worried about college because of this reason. It makes me sad knowing I won’t be there for her first day of kindergarten. However, I’m sure I will receive many pictures and I have no doubt my mom will be calling me that morning. My mom will possibly be crying and so will I. I also look forward to that moment, even if it means she is growing up. I know it may sting because I want her to stay little forever, but I know that no matter what age I am or she is, we will always have the unbreakable bond that sisters share.

She may not be able to hold that bond as close to her heart as I do right now because of her age, but I know that it will always be there for the both of us. There will always be love and happiness in our relationship as sisters and friends. I will always be there for her, no matter the situation or time. I am so incredibly blessed to have her in my life. She has made an impact on her bigger than anyone, including myself, believed she could have had.

Seeing her grow up more and more every day has been such an amazing thing that I get to do, no matter where we are or how old we are by that time. She is the most loving, cute, and just overall amazing toddler you’d every meet. She has been such a blessing and I’m so grateful.