If you’re the oldest of your brothers and sisters, then you will definitely understand where I am coming from with this article. If you aren’t the oldest, please read this so you can understand just what we as older siblings might be going through. It’s only a glimpse, but it should be enough to give you some perspective.
Now to begin, there are some good things and some sad things that come with being the oldest:
Pro:
As the oldest, you basically get to be in charge when the parents aren’t around. You can boss the young ones around and make them do whatever you want. If they don’t listen, the ultimate threat would be that you would tell Mom and Dad.
Con:
The bad side is that you are basically their babysitter whenever your parents go out. It doesn’t matter if you don’t want to or if you want to go out with your friends because somewhere, in some imaginary guideline for older siblings, it was written that you have to take care of your younger siblings as if they were your own children. It’s even worse for older siblings when there is a big age gap, like for me; I’m 21 years old and my youngest siblings are four years old. I basically raised them. They are like my kids.
Pro:
As the oldest, you get to experience everything first. You are the first to go to elementary school, middle school, high school, and even college. Your parents make sure you have everything you need for school, going all out with the school supplies. They’ve never sent anyone to school so they don’t know what you need, so they buy you everything. You are the first to get your license — unless you’re lazy and a younger sibling gets it first — but that's not usually how things go.
Con:
The main problem with being first is you’re the first. Your parents don’t know what they are doing. They set crazy rules that you need to follow exactly, and then when it comes to your younger siblings, they are more lenient. You as the older sibling were their guinea pig. You were their experiment. They tried everything with you first, and then changed what didn’t work for the rest of their kids. It can really suck sometimes.
Pro:
As the oldest, you are the one who gets out first. Moving out can be hard because you are your parent’s first kid and it may be hard for them to let you go, but it's cool to be on your own. You get to set your own rules and be your own person.
Con:
It’s hard being an adult, and you will miss home and the comforts that you leave behind. One big comfort that you miss is having home-cooked meals. Sure, you know how to cook and you buy what you need to cook, but let’s face it: we get lazy, and your food was made for you at home.
As the oldest, we are expected to fill a lot of roles. I was usually, and sometimes still can be, second mom, tutor, cook, cleaning lady, video game buddy, playtime friend, lifeguard, chauffeur, nurse, friend, companion, and most importantly, sister. It’s hard to fill them all, but it isn't all that bad. Right now, I’m glad I no longer live at home and have to deal with younger siblings, but deep down I miss them, so I go home once in a while. When I go home for the day, I go back to playing these roles, but I guess that’s what the job calls for when I’m the oldest sibling.
