This is going to sound weird, but I've "struggled" with being the "golden child" since I was in 8th grade or so. Being the "favorite" or most approved is great and all, but praise comes with pain when so much is expected from you. In this article I'll be stating some things that have gone on in my life as well as things fellow golden children that have told me. At some point you stop getting recognized for your achievements and it becomes the normality for you to do good, but this comes with a price.

1. Your siblings actually hate you.

No, really, one of my little sisters has actually came up to me and told me, "I hate you because you make me look bad" or something along those lines (several times). She is constantly rude to me, trying to make me feel bad whenever possible. I love my sisters, and I want to get along with them, but they just have so much resentment towards me for being "golden." My little sister has said some God awful things to me -- one time because I cleaned her room for her.

2. The unspoken pressure to do good- the grades, oh the grades.

You know you better do good, and nothing but good. Actually, nothing except for stellar. I've been getting straight A's since a certain (young) point in my academic career, so if I make anything that's not an A (even if it's a B, which is still above average) it's horrible. Even if I worked my behind off for that B or C, it doesn't matter, it's still the arbitrary letter than runs my existence. I got a "bad" grade in a class last semester (I passed) and my little sister laughed at me and said, "I just expected so much better from you". (You know, despite the fact that it was literally four years ahead of what I was supposed to be doing and all) *rolls eyes*

3. If you do anything "wrong" it's the end of the world.

So you've basically dug this hole of awesome for yourself, and you're stuck in it forever. If you ever do something age appropriate or act out in any way, good Lord, you're in for a lecture. But, your siblings and classmates can act rebellious and it's deemed "developmental" and the "way kids act when 'x, y, or z' happens". I'm just "too good" to act my age or something.

Also, you can't have any problems- problems are wrong. No life problems, no sickness; nothing if it isn't as golden and good as the expectations for you.

4. You're the only one who listens to your parents, so guess what that means?

You have to take on more household responsibilities. More chores for you, Little Ms. Perfect! No really, go do your sisters' chores because they said they wouldn't, and if you say no I'm going to get really disappointed in you, even though your sisters already told me no. You're the golden child, remember? You can't say no. Even though my parent's don't ask me to pick up my sisters' slack, I still end up doing my sisters' chores to ease the stress on my parents and help them out where I can.

5. Getting reprimanded always feels like a punch in the face.

Rather than a slap on the wrist. Golden children rarely get in trouble, so not all of us know how to handle it when we do! No matter how dumb it is, if I get in trouble, I get really upset and tears literally start welling up in my eyes. For example, I had coffee on my piano in class, and my piano teacher very calmly told me, "Jaedyn, you cannot put your coffee on the piano." And I fumbled around with an apology and removed my coffee from the piano while trying not to cry. I'm a big baby when I get in trouble, because I'm not used to it.

6. Sometimes parents receive credit.

As if they were the ones who made all of your accomplishments for you. In reality they weren't the ones who won the trophy, made the grade, or got the job. Why don't people congratulate the person who actually made the achievements instead of treating them like they did nothing at all? I agree that parents can help mold the child's understanding of doing well, or helping them get involved with certain things, but it wasn't them who did it in the end.

7. Some people don't realize how hard you work.

And expect you to do more and more, thinking it comes so naturally for you to do good. People expect the most out of you and demand perfection. It's a catch 22: while they're complimenting you by thinking you can do the most difficult tasks with ease, they're also downplaying how much work and determination it takes to achieve your goals.

So, with all of that being said, while being the golden child definitely has its perks, it also really sucks.