Being the oldest sibling isn't the easiest thing in the world. It might be one of the hardest or most stressful things to be honestly. You are still a child but now you have younger siblings that end up looking up to you and following your every move. It makes you grow up faster and become more mature about things in order to set a good example. No matter the age difference between siblings, we older children all understand these five realities of being born first.
1. We have to act like the role model.
Our younger siblings look up to use no matter what. We have to set a good example in everything they see. "Monkey see monkey do" is something we heard all the time growing up from our parents. We have to clean off our set at the table or our younger siblings wouldn't do it. We have to brush our teeth before we went to bed or our younger siblings wouldn't. I constantly heard the excuse from my little sister and brother saying, "Well, Sarah didn't do it".
2. We get blamed for everything.
Most everyone has heard this one before, because it's true. If my little brother drew something on the wall, he would blame it on me. My parents would say that I shouldn't have let it happen or I should've watched my brother. If my sister came home with a bad homework grade, she would blame it on me. Even if I had nothing to do with it, I "should've helped her with it or tutored her."
3. Our parents are focused on getting us out of the house first.
The whole phrase of, "You need to be a butterfly and let your wings flap," was something I heard all through high school and getting ready for college. I wasn't going to live at home even though I was going to my local university. I was going to live on campus and "be an adult" and get the "college experience". Our parents are constantly on our tails about scholarships and ACT scores and high school GPAs. Once we were out, the next sibling was up and the same thing happened to them. Once they reached the youngest, or the baby of the family, they aren't ready to let go.
4. Our parents are depending on us to take care of them later on.
As much as they may joke around with us, they're actually being serious. They see us as the more mature one out of our siblings. They are depending on us to get our degree and become successful in life so when they can no longer take care of themselves, we will be able to afford them and care for them in a spare room down the hall.
5. We feel responsible for our younger siblings.
Even if we continuously bicker with our younger siblings, they still have a special place in our heart. We still want them to succeed and become everything they want and more. If something bad happens to them or they hit a rough patch, we feel as if we can do something about it. We have been the big sister/brother to them their wholes lives and that will never change. We will always been there for our siblings.
