I am going to be a junior next year and I have a younger brother who is twelve years old. He has finally started to mature a little bit, but he still gets on my nerves all the time. I try to ignore him, but it seems like his goal in life is to annoy me.

I have to drive him most of the time and he changes the music in my car, which is really frustrating. I guess it's just the age that he is at, but I would love some tips on how to get him to leave me alone. I love my brother so much, but he is always trying to get under my skin. I will be happy when he grows out of this stage.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

I just had a funny little anecdote I thought I would share.

A few weeks ago I was babysitting a 7-year-old girl that I frequently sit for.  Seeing as how it is summer, she wanted to go swimming in her pool in the back yard. I warned her mother that I am not the best swimmer in the world, and by not the best I mean that I can manage to not drown but anything beyond that is asking a little much. But she said that she was a good swimmer. So she goes jumping in the pool and starts diving for toys as I am huddled in the shallow end, with her in spirit of course. After about ten minutes of this, she looks over at me, still being a wimp in the three-foot-deep water, and says to me, "Are you sure you don't want to come play? I promise if you start to drown I'll save you."

:-/.

I can't even begin to expressing how discouraging it is to have a 7-year-old offering to save your life. It was humbling, to say the least. Now I don't take it for granted quite as much that I am older and wiser. That's what happens when you get put in your place by someone less then half your age.