When a family has children, they decide whether to have only one, or two, or three, or more kids to complete their crew. For families when there are multiple children, the eldest child always -- and I mean always -- endures the greatest struggles. Here are 11 reasons why being the older sibling is so hard.
1. You get away with nothing, while your younger sibling(s) get away with everything.
Plain, simple, clear. This is the greatest peeve of all older siblings.
2. You’re expected to be a role model for the young'ns.
No matter what gender you are, parents will compare their children together. Older children are set to higher standards, while the younger ones, simply “aren’t mature enough to know better.”
3. You’re the on-call babysitter.
When you and your siblings were younger, you had to watch them and play with them while your parents were out. And now, you still need to cook dinner for them when you’re home on school breaks.
4. You feel responsible to help your younger brothers and sisters in social interactions and situations.
You are very protective and sometimes more overbearing than your parents.
5. You do something wrong, and you lose your cell phone, car, and able to go out for a month.
When your siblings do something wrong, they get lose the TV privileges for two nights.
6. You feel weird knowing they have a social life just as much as you.
Your younger siblings go out to dinner with friends, go to parties, and start dating -- and then you meet who they’re dating. Yikes.
7. You had to wait until you were the appropriate age to watch PG-13 and R-rated movies.
But your younger siblings did not! They got everything before the age you did.
8. When you try to be the older child in the house, you get yelled at for being too bossy or rude.
Well, ain’t that a problem.
9. You get into fights with your mom and the fights are always more dramatic than when your younger siblings and your mom fight.
It’s because they like the younger kids more.
10. You get minimal gratitude for doing good things.
Your younger siblings get cake and presents for doing good things.
Because “that is what you’re expected to do” according to your parents.
11. You complain and complain about how hard it is, but in reality, you wouldn’t have it any other way.
Let’s be honest, your younger siblings couldn’t handle being the oldest for one day.
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