Ah, youngest children. Being the one that wraps up a family can be the best, and can also be the worst. When I was born, my sister was 10 and my brother was 8, so I was definitely the baby. While every family is different, there are just some things that ring true for youngest children everywhere. For example:
1. You're great at following orders
After years of being taken advantage of constantly being told what to do, you've become great at following orders. Your older sibling knew that if they could get someone to run all the way upstairs to grab something just because they didn't feel like it, it would be you. If you whined or asked why? "Because I said so." was the typical response.
2. They did tons of cool stuff before you even existed
Being so much younger than my siblings, there were things my family did and places they went that by the time I came around were old news. Whenever I wanted to go camping or to the state fair it was always, "Oh, we kind of burned out on all that when your siblings were little." Of course, you probably get to do cool stuff they never did, so it probably evens out (but still).
3. You got all their stuff
Be it toys, clothes, furniture, whatever, if you really liked something they had, odds are it would be yours soon enough. Which was awesome because if your older siblings liked it, it was probably super cool (or at least you thought it was).
4. Your weird stages/embarrassing moments are never forgotten. Ever.
If there was an time in which you had no two front teeth and "argh"-ed like a pirate a lot, it's never forgotten. In fact, it's brought up pretty frequently. I went through all my awkward stages when my brother and sister were there to witness and make fun of them.
5. You knew how to get them to play with you
Whether it was making my teenage brother play Barbies with me or getting my sister and my brother to dress up and act out a (probably really dumb) skit, I like to think I had some powers as the youngest child to get them to play with me sometimes (when they weren't busy or just pretending I didn't exist). That or they actually wanted to because I was such a joy to be around. Actually yeah, I'm sure that was it.
6. You never had actual babysitters
I literally don't remember ever being babysat by someone other than my brother or sister. This could either be awesome, or no fun. On one hand, you had tons of fun when they actually did stuff with you and let you stay up past your bedtime. On the other, they could totally ignore you and make you play by yourself the whole time and not feel bad about it, because it's not like they were actually getting paid.
7. You're called the wrong name all the time
Teachers, aunts, literally any adult who knows the rest of your family. Even your parents from time to time (seriously). Eventually you just get used to it and respond to all your siblings' names.
8. You learned some things earlier than other kids
While all my friends were convinced that the tooth fairy and the Easter bunny were real, the truth had long been revealed to me. My parents didn't even try to convince me Santa was real at all. Whether they just didn't want to go through all that for a third time or they figured my brother and sister would ruin it for me, I probably missed out on some magical childhood memories. Oh well.
9. You're comfortable with adults
Most of my childhood was spent with people who were older than me rather than younger. Whether I was with my siblings and their friends, or my parents were dragging me around with their friends (I once spent new year's eve playing hearts with a bunch of people over 50), I became pretty comfortable around people older than me, which I think has really helped me socially at work and school.
10. You know how to take a joke
As mentioned before, the youngest child is made fun of a lot. You become the butt of a lot of jokes and your siblings purposefully pushed your buttons quite often. While you may have gotten mad and shed a few tears then, it built character (so much character). As you got older, you (hopefully) learned how to laugh even when the joke is on you.
11. You wouldn't trade being the youngest for the world
I always have and always will love being the youngest. Youngest children have such an awesome opportunity to learn from our older siblings. I respect and look up to them so much and I know they have had a crucial part in shaping the person I am today. Even though they teased me and made me super mad sometimes, I wouldn't trade them for the world (though you guys should still feel bad for the times you made me cry).
