Sisters and Boyfriends

Dear Little Miss,

I am in 7th grade and there is this guy that rides my school bus and I like him.  He is my age but he told me that he likes my sister and he might ask her out. I really like him but he likes my older sister. What should I do?

Dear Sibling Rivalry,

You could try tying your sister up and keeping her in a closet until the day that you are happily married… Okay, maybe that isn’t a good idea.  I believe I was in 9th grade, myself, when this very thing happened to me. I know that what I am going to say won’t fix anything, or even make you feel better, but I hope you will listen anyway.  My older sister was (still is) very pretty and she had lots of boyfriends.  When I found out that the guy I liked wanted her and not me I hated her.  I blamed her, and I was also rather mean to myself.  I figured I must be pretty ugly if she could get all the guys and I couldn’t get just one.  It took me a while to realize that there wasn’t anything wrong with me, or her.  I was just learning the hard lesson in life that I wouldn’t get every boy I wanted just because I wanted him.  Then I learned that the best boys to go after were the ones that were interested in me to begin with.  Once I learned this very valuable lesson I had my heart broken a lot less.  There are guys out there wishing that you would like them, go find one of them and make two people happy.  Leave the guys that are looking at other girls alone, they aren’t worth it.  

Wishing you many worthwhile boyfriends,

Miss Knowitall