Being a younger sibling can have its perks, but it can also be a curse in disguise. No matter how many siblings you have, being the youngest includes constantly being compared to your older siblings, having to run up and down the stairs to get anything your they or your parents need and feeling like your opinion doesn’t always matter.

This may seem a bit harsh, but in reality, there have been too many times that I have had to go get my sisters laptop or my mom’s phone when they leave it upstairs. Now, this is a power I have yet to use, partially because I don’t feel like I’m allowed too. It’s as if there is an unspoken rule about older sibling and parent privileges that the youngest sibling is just born into. There’s no getting out of it.

Another great part of being the youngest is having the bar set for you academically and socially. In all honesty, though, I am probably the most different from my siblings, but that mostly has to do with my interests and personality. But, this took some time to find out, I had to spend about half of high school getting out of the activities my sisters did because that’s who knew me at school and was what I was expected to do.

Academics is also a tough one because my siblings were always good at school, not saying that I’m not, but by having two sisters who went through the same school, I already knew which classes I would take two years before I took them. I knew which teachers were good and which ones I needed to switch out of as soon as possible. So overall, it wasn’t the worst, but it took time to find what I wanted and where I fit because it was different for me than it was for them.

When you’re a child, not a lot of people pay attention to your opinion on most things. No one really cares about what you want to have for dinner or what movie you want to watch, and that is completely understandable.

Except, when you hit the age when you should start to feel like a contributor but you’re still being seen as the baby whose say doesn’t count. This gets frustrating and you just stop putting your say into much, this carries over to my friends, I’m good at just going with the flow of things because that’s what I’m used to. Except, when my friends ask me what I want to do and I can’t make a decision because I usually never have to.

Overall, being the youngest isn’t always ideal, but there are some benefits. I get all the clothes they don’t want, my parents usually side with me in arguments and I have great older sisters to learn from for the future. I couldn’t imagine my life without them and they get me through a lot, their advice is real and I know they are always honest with me. As much as I wish I was an older sibling, I’m glad I get to learn from them but also figure things out on my own.