12 Simple, Important Things You Only Learn From Your Little Sister

Little sisters are beacons of tenderness and compassion.There's nothing quite like having a little, miniature person in your life who looks up to you as much as she does.

You can see yourself in those perfect, innocent eyes because she's a part of you.

You desperately want to protect her from everything, to take away any pain she might feel and to help her become the best version of herself she can be.

Sometimes you might not even realize how much you're not only teaching her, but how much she's teaching you.

You're supposed to be the older sibling, the one with all the answers and advice and yet, without your little sister, there are countless things you would've never learned.

Without her, you just wouldn't be the person you are today.

So, take a moment and thank your baby sister. She really is the most valuable, wonderful gift your parents ever gave you.

If you need a bit of help laying out what you're saying thank you for, here are some of the lessons your little sister taught you.

How to be a leader.

Your little sister made a leader out of you. When you have younger siblings, you immediately become a source of guidance. They look up to you and listen to everything you say with rapt attention.

Being an older sibling comes with a lot of power, so it's important you learn to use it wisely.

How to be compassionate.

Little sisters come with a lot of love and tenderness. They'll teach you about compassion before you get a chance to experience your first broken heart.

When she skinned her knee falling off her bike, you rubbed her back while she cried, wishing you could take away the sting.

You'll feel her fears, her hopes and her dreams. You'll want her to accomplish everything her baby heart desires.

How to be protective.

You develop a protective gene really quickly when you grow up with a baby sister always tagging along behind you. If anyone messes with her, you'll be up in a bitch's face faster than a mouse on cheese.

You'll be her greatest supporter and you'll fight for her when she can't fight for herself. Your little sister is your baby, and no one puts Baby in the corner!

How to become someone you're proud of.

You want to set a good example for your sister because you're her role model. This means you'll need to become a person you're proud to be. Since you want her to be her best self, you'll need to be your best self.

Being a role model is no small responsibility.

How to own up to your mistakes.

You might be stubborn, but you'll learn how to own up to your wrongful actions when you have a little sister around.

You can bet she's going to call you out on it, too. You're a human, you'll f*ck up from time to time.

By admitting to it, you're taking her down a strong, moral path.

How to care about someone more than you do yourself.

Unconditional love is a beautiful thing. She taught you about it first when she came into your world as a screaming, chubby baby, cut from the same cloth as you were.

The moment you became a big sister, you learned what it felt like to care about someone more than you cared about yourself. She taught you what it means to be selfless.

How to be a mom.

There were times when mom wasn't around, and so you had to be the parent to your little siblings. Always the leader of the pack, a big sister learns how to be a good mom by acting like a mom.

It might drive your brothers and sisters crazy, but they love you for it all the same.

Remember, you're going to need to be a mom to them again some day. Yours won't always be around.

How to be patient.

Lord, will you need patience for that tiny monster. You had to teach her everything she knows. When she was a kid, she was the youngest, so she got her way with everything. You became a pushover just from wanting her to be happy so badly.

Sometimes, even today, her spoiled-brat behavior can be your undoing.

How to make better decisions.

When you made a bad decision, you paid for it. You don't want your little sister to ever have to suffer through a run-in with the police or the principal.

You had to learn not to screw up all the time; you didn't want to set a bad example for your younger sister who wanted to be just like you.

How to approach your parents in alternative ways.

You're a great negotiator and you'll need to pass along those skills to the youngsters.

As you had to handle your parents first, it was your task to figure out what would and what wouldn't fly.

How is it you always had to be home by 10 pm and your younger sister gets to stay out until all hours of the morning?

Damn, you sure did pave the way.

How NOT to approach your parents.

She basically just watched you get shut down and took it from there.

How not to give a f*ck.

Any bomb little sister knows this is the greatest lesson she can teach her older sibling. As the youngest, she had it so much easier than you did. Your mom and dad spent all of their hard parenting years on you.

By the time they got to your younger sister, they were like, “OK, we're over it.” Therefore, she turned out to be a really chill person.

She's the person who will teach you the blissful art of seriously not giving a f*ck.