Excatly fourteen years ago today you were born,
I had a little brother and no longer was the youngest,
and I know that we have fought a lot and called eachother names,
but I never meant anything I've ever said to you that was mean.
So today you're fourteen years old,
the age you've been waiting to turn for the past year,
now you're not a child nor preteen anymore,
now you're a teenager and you're going to act more like one.
But Dylan, you're always going to be mine, Melissa and Jeff's little brother,
and we're going to defend you and stand up for you when we can,
and it's not because we feel like your a baby and cant do it alone,
it's because you're still our little baby brother.
You've been there for me when I was crying and sad,
you've sat by my side when I was dump or lost someone I cared about,
you never wanted to see me hurting the way I have a million times,
and you never wanted me to be sad instead of happy.
Dylan, you've been so much more then just a little brother to me,
you've been my best friend, my support system, a shoulder to cry on,
you've helped me through the past 14 years of my life by reminding me that I am beautiful and a fun person to be with,
and I owe you so much for everything you've done for me.
I just hope I've been able to help you as much as you've helped me,
because you are my little brother and I never want to see you hurting,
and we can fight everyday and call eachother every name in the book,
but none of that is going to stop me from loving you Dylan.
We've shared so many smiles and laughs together,
we've came up with the stupidest jokes and games ever,
and we've played weird games like the pokemon game we played when we were little,
and the Yu-Gi-Oh card shop game we came up with.
Sure, I felt like an idiot playing games like that when I was 13 and 14 years old,
but it was playing the games with you that made them so fun,
and play fighting with you and Daddy was always such a fun thing to do,
see what I mean Dylan, we have lots of good memouries together to.
But you're growing up like you proved to me, mommy and daddy by going down that water slide,
or like how me and you don't get mad at eachother like we used to,
you're becoming more and more mature everyday and we can tell,
I just want you to remember that it's okay to always be a child at heart.
Dylan, you've accomplished so much in this past year,
you've graduated from grade eight and started highschool without me there,
you've found the courage and bravery inside of you to face two of your biggest fears,
you've made new friends and passed grade eight with high marks,
you're really growing up Dylan, and we can all tell.
But always remember that you're families there for you everyday,
when you dont understand something you're learning at school,
or when you've had you're heart broken by a girl,
you can always come and find us and we'll always listen.
I know that because you're a teenager you're going to act without thinking sometimes,
and you're probably going to make a lot of mistakes,
but dont worry you can always go back and fix them,
you can't clear them away but you can appoligize and move on.
I know you're going to feel like the worlds against you sometimes,
but it's only because now you're a teenager,
and as much fun as you have in your teenage years its filled with hurt too,
these are the years you dream of for so long, but when they're here they can bring you down.
You're going to get heart broken and you're going to get down and discouraged,
but when that happens turn to me or mommy or anyone in the family,
and I promise you that you'll make it through the tough times,
because as long as you have your family you can do anything.
So today you're fourteen years old and acting more and more mature everyday,
you've learned to accept the fact that life isn't always going to be perfect,
and that sometimes we cant get everything we want,
but you can accept that and move on.
Dylan, you're my little brother and the only one I have,
you're the only younger sibling I have and I have to watch out for you,
I want to make sure you're always happy and that you're not being teased,
you're the only younger brother I have and I want to be in your life.
So please Dyl, don't shut me or the family out because you're always going to need us,
not just for childhood and teenage years,
but for the rest of you life,
and I promise that you're family will always be there, I will always be here .
Happy fourteenth birthday little brother who I love so dearly,
may this day, this month, this year and all the others bring you happiness,
and never forget who you really are and always say no to smoking and drugs,
and never ever forget to be Dylan Emmerson Swift, the little brother who I love so much .
