I am the youngest of seven.

Yes, let that number set in. I’ll give you a minute….

Okay, you good now?

Great, let’s move on.

Being the baby of the family has its ups and down. Sometimes, it can be a great place to be in the family hierarchy, and oftentimes, not so much. Here is a list of seven things (as a sort-of ode to each of the kids in the Ubaid family) I've come to learn being the youngest of such a large family.

1. When there is an important family meeting, it is best to keep your mouth shut.

Because I am the youngest, no matter how old I am, I’ll always be considered the little baby of the family. And as such, my opinions on a subject will immediately, as a default, be seen as gibberish. I’ll be shut down even before I finish my first sentence.

2. You’ll rarely have to pay if you are eating out with the family.

Even though I am currently working, my siblings will rarely let me pay for my own meals when we are dining out. If I try to put any money down, they will give me a stern look that says, “If you don’t take back that $10 bill, I’ll strangle you…out of love.”

3. They’ll never let you borrow their clothes.

As a child, I was pretty messy (still am, if I have to be honest), and I had spilled every food out there on my new sundresses. And I have also had too many “accidents” in my pants as a kid. Way too many. So even now, when I am almost 20, I am, in my siblings eyes, way too irresponsible when it comes to borrowing their clothes. Their opinions are probably valid though, and I still take their things without asking, so we are good.

4. They will fight with you… a lot.

Okay, so I’m going to attribute this to the fact that my family is pretty huge, so with so many personalities in the house, everyone is bound to butt heads. But speaking specifically from the youngest’s perspective, it can be hard at times. If I try to defend myself, you best believe I’ll be yelled at for being “disrespectful,” but to be fair, there are times where I am actually being disrespectful, so I guess that’s warranted (that last bit is for my siblings who are will read this part and yell at me for blowing up their spot).

5. But if anyone outside the family picks a fight with you, your siblings will not have any of that sh*t.

My older siblings can mess with me, but if anyone else tries to, they’ll back me up and stand up for me. They can be a little overprotective at times, and they’ll never let anyone pick on their kid sister. They are basically my personal bodyguards, so all of you better watch out.

6. They’ll make fun of you to no end.

When people hear that I am the baby of the family, they assume that I was spoiled rotten by my siblings. Oh, how wrong they are. My siblings, as is normal in any family, will bother me to no end. They especially like to tease me about boys. Mind you, I am 19, but to them, I am still a middle-schooler. It works out, though, because, as I am the "baby," its my job to annoy them, which I think I do a pretty good job at.

7. They will always be there to give you advice.

The best thing, in my opinion, of having so many older siblings is that I can always turn to them if I am having a tough time, or if I really need guidance. They’ve already been through all that I am going through, whether it be about school, significant others, self-esteem issues etc. They will tell me all they have learned from their experiences or mistakes, and I can apply their lessons to my own life, or at least try my best to. They are basically my free-of-charge therapists... until I need an actual therapist for all the trauma and stress my siblings give me.