There are a lot of ups and downs that go into being the youngest in the family. A lot of times, our older brothers and sisters like to label us as spoiled brats who get whatever they want, but that’s just because they’re jealous. In reality, there are a lot more ups than downs that go into being the youngest, and I couldn’t imagine my life any other way. Here are 11 reasons why being the youngest is the absolute best.
1. We are spoiled endlessly
Even though we try to deny this as much as possible, we really are spoiled. It’s especially hard for parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles to say no to us because we are the apple of everyone’s eyes and “the baby” of the family.
2. We learned how not to get in trouble
Since we have older brothers and/or sisters, we have been eyewitnesses to a lot of things, which includes them getting in trouble. By watching them getting yelled at and disciplined by our parents, we quickly learned how to avoid getting caught while also staying in their good graces.
3. We are the favorite
Parents are hardwired to say that they love all their children equally, and I mean that’s probably true, but everyone has a favorite something in every aspect of life. The youngest kids just embody everything good in this world, such as being pure and innocent and when their older siblings act up. We know exactly how to make our parents smile and forget about whatever was bothering them.
4. We have automatic cool factor
By having older brothers and sisters, it allows the youngest kid to have an automatic cool factor. We know what to wear and how to wear it or what to say and how to say it due to a lot of trial and error from our big brothers and sisters. We’re also (most of the time) accepted into a group of friends that’s older than us because of who we’re related to, which makes us look pretty cool.
5. We are able to learn from the experiences of our older siblings
In life, most of the time we have to fall a little bit before we can learn from a certain situation. Luckily, being the baby of the family, we’ve seen our older brothers and sisters make mistakes (and witnessed them getting into some serious trouble or having that “aha moment”). We’re also exposed to seeing what they’ve gained from those experiences and even though this is extremely hard to admit, we actually listened to them and appreciated everything they had to tell us about what they’ve gone through and how it’s bettered them as a person.
6. We have automatic bodyguards
When you’re the baby, there is literally an army around to protect you. It’s OK when siblings tease one another, but as soon as anyone else tries, well…it’s over. Your older brothers and sisters will literally have your back for anything and everything, even if it’s for the most insignificant thing. Even though we may not say this all the time, it’s a really good feeling and super reassuring to have such awesome people in our corner.
7. What’s theirs is yours
One of the first lessons that we learn as children is that “sharing is caring,” and this holds very true in pretty much every situation with brothers and sisters. As the youngest, there’s this mentality that we can “borrow” anything from our siblings because it’s just sharing, right?
8. We always have to have the last word
For the better part of our lives, we are generally smaller and deemed inferior to our older siblings for no apparent reason. Arguments are a commonplace in any household, and, unfortunately, most of the time we’ll lose, but we’ll always have the last word. So basically we still win, right?
9.We are very resilient
We have to be tough to be the youngest. No one in the world is going to be meaner to us than our older siblings. This in itself is kind of a blessing in disguise because when we get out into the real world, we are completely and utterly unfazed when people think they are hurting our feelings.
10. We are the loudest
Sometimes we just want our voices to be heard! The only way to do this is to be loud, or no one will listen (or even hear us).
11. And there is at least one shrine dedicated to you in your house
This happens in most families. There’s the golden child (99.9 percent of the time, it’s the youngest) who has a whole wall in the living room with photographs and academic and athletic achievements while the other kids have a measly corner.
At the end of the day, every child holds a special place in their parents’ hearts. There are stereotypes associated with each place in the birth order and most of the time you don’t realize the benefits until it’s brought to your attention. Being the baby of my family, I know what it’s like and why, in my opinion being the youngest is the best!
