The photo’s a bit dated if you’ve seen me recently, but it’s easily one of my favorite nice pictures with my brother and sister.

Hannah is a dash of crazy and a hint of silly, the kind of kid that would dance in the middle of the street to make someone laugh. She’s determined to maintain our Snapchat streak until it reaches 100, even though we don’t understand why it’s so important. FaceTime is a big part of our relationship when I’m at school (usually, she needs help with homework).

CJ is… Well, CJ’s a boy. He plays football and video games. His eyes light up during the opening crawl of the Star Wars movies because he’s so excited. If you get him started on superheroes from Marvel or DC, he’s likely to never stop. He’s also not nearly as clingy as Hannah, but he makes a point of hugging me every time I come home.

For me, being an older sister is not an easy accomplishment if I want to do it right. I live over an hour away when I’m at school, constantly coming and going when I’m home for a holiday or intersession. Making it to everything they do at school or home isn’t possible. It makes people wonder how I can have such a good relationship with them when I’m not around all the time. The answer’s really simple.

I put some work into it.

When I’m home for the weekend, I sit downstairs to do schoolwork while Hannah watches Grey’s Anatomy or CJ plays Assassin’s Creed. I pick them up from school when I can and listen when they talk about their day. I’m ready to answer the phone when they have something to rant about. If there’s a movie out that I know they’ve been dying to see, I make time to take them to see it. I put CJ’s football games and Hannah’s choir concerts on my calendar.

Nothing grows from nothing, and I want a real relationship with my siblings. They’re the only ones in this world right now that feel the same way I do about losing our dad. They need to know that, no matter where I am or how far I go, they’re still my favorite brats.

If you have younger siblings, I want to challenge you to put some work into your relationship with them. If your siblings are like mine, it’s going to feel like a chore occasionally. I promise that it’s worth it.

Hannah and CJ, you are worth it.