I don't know any creative or fruity way of saying this -- I am the oldest child in my family. I grew up with three younger brothers and here I stand before you today, a survivor of nineteen crazy years. I have three younger brothers, and yes, I enjoy being the princess of the family. I grew up running with the boys, playing all different sports and sometimes getting in wrestling matches over who gets to control the television. However, I would get my way by making them sit through episodes of Hannah Montana or listen to The Jonas Brothers.
Many people look at the oldest child as being the guinea pig or experiment for everything. While this is all true, it is not necessarily a bad thing. I was the first to learn to drive, to navigate the rights and wrongs of high school, to somehow apply to college and many more things. I enjoyed being a pioneer of sorts because I got to watch my parents learn what to do with me. It helped me realize we were all in the same clueless boat, no matter what age we are.
Being the oldest also meant I was supposed to be the responsible one. I had three younger siblings who, for some odd reason, looked up to me. If it was how I handled a bad teacher or dealing with the drama of high school, I had to be able to figure out how to set a good example for these little children. I often found myself not paying attention to them and just acting how I normally would, never putting on a perfect act for the fear of ending up like the cookie-cutter families you might see in an old television commercial. I believe people learn best from mistakes, and I am a prime example of that.
My brothers benefit from my experiences, and I am completely aware of that. My brother knows better about applying to college than I did because he saw me struggle through that long process. My youngest brother is going to be a pro at almost everything, for he'll know what to do and my parents will have the solution for any problem he throws at them.
So yeah, I like being the oldest. I always hear people say how much they love having an older sibling, but I wouldn't want my family to change. I love being there for my brothers to help them when my parents don't know how to help. That being said, we all know one thing is 100 percent true -- I'm definitely the favorite.
