It may seem weird but a lot of my understanding of male behavior came from long talks with my younger brother. He passed on when he was 30 but he was always there to listen, and when it came to men clue me in a little.
The first time he really let me know what was going on in guys heads was when I was 15 and he was 13. I mentioned that I was surprised all his guy friends were so clumsy since they were all athletes. His response "Sis, they drop stuff because you put your giant PJ shirts on when you get home and they hope that you'll pick up what they've dropped so they can try to look down your shirt.".
Later when I was starting college. His advise don't read romance novels in public. Because there are too many men out there that would use my love of romance to get me into bed.
But he taught me some really nice things too. Men don't always want to make the first move. I asked out my first boy friend. We're still friends today. Men cry too just not in public because they don't want to be shamed for it.
And as I dated he was always there with a reality check. You know your boyfriend's never sober and is a dick you can do better.
Because of him I've got a troop of honorary younger brothers that check in on my pretty regularly. I have guy friends I never would have realized were nice guys if he hadn't taught me to look beneath the surface with men.
He taught me that a man can read poetry and still record 7 different football games in one day.
I do miss him. I miss his perspective. But I really treasure that he showed me how incredibly multifaceted men can be. Maybe I would have figured it out on my own. But I'll always be thankful for the nudge in the right direction.
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