Kyle's in College

Growing up, my brother and I overlapped in everything. Elementary school and sports, high school and friends. Several of my friends have siblings who are 3 or 4 or even more years younger and between them is a definite older-younger, bigger-smaller dynamic. It’s interesting to see, and there are certain aspects of those relationships, the more protective, parenting aspects, that interest me, but with Kyle and I, we were always equals.

Even if I wanted to pull the big sister card, he’s been taller then me since I was 14 years old. For much of our childhood, we were well matched in size which made for awesome wrestling matches to determine who got to chose the TV show or go first in a board game. I was a girly-girl, but having a brother forced me to spend hours on trains and Hot Wheels, and made him spend time playing make believe.

For the past few years, I have been in college, a whole new playground. I loved sharing the high school with him, and I am so excited for him to join me for 1 year even if our schools are now states apart. Today, Kyle leaves for Syracuse University. I am such a jumble of feelings, both sad and happy, and ridiculously emotional at the idea of my little (okay, extremely tall) brother away at school for the first time. I know he is going to do so well and have a great experience and be truly happy at his number one choice of a college, but as his sister, I worry anyway. All week he’s put up with random hugs from my mother and I, as we ask incessantly if he needs this or that for school, as if we can shop away the separation anxiety. I miss him already.

We’ve had a great summer. It was one of the first times in a while we’d both been home for a long stretch of time, and together we watched ridiculous amounts of TV, ate our parents out of house and home, and argued over the stupid facts only siblings can understand.

Kyle had such an amazing senior year, between winning the State Championship title for cross-country in the fall and playing varsity lacrosse in the spring, to his senior prom and graduation. He came with my parents to visit me in London and one of my favorite nights was sitting at a table in a pub, laughing so hard I had tears in my eyes after joking with my family.

Good luck to the incoming freshman at schools across the country. I know you’ll be so successful and happy and I’m looking forward to running into you on campus. Kyle, you’re the best kid a college could ask for, and I can’t wait to hear about your new adventures. Stay safe, smart, and enjoy college life. It goes too fast. This afternoon while we packed up the van, and I asked if he needed 4 other unnecessary objects, before shutting up and just giving him another hug. That's all he really needed anyway.

I love you. Have fun.