I'm the eldest of three children, and let me tell you, it's not always easy. Growing up, I've had to play the part of several roles. It was like being Chuck from "Are We Done Yet?" except I didn't get all the hats. Here are the roles that I, and many of you, have played.
1. The Second Parent
In my case, I lived in a single-mom home, which means there was my mom and no one else. Since my mom spent plenty of her time working, I had the pleasure of helping her raise my younger brother and sister. That meant helping them with homework, waking them up for school, assisting with cleaning the house, and occasionally cooking.
2. The Cover
What I mean about being the cover, is that when one of my siblings wanted to do something behind my mom's back, I'd help them do it. With my brother, it was always something about not letting my mom know he was awake in the middle of the night playing video games. With my sister, it was not telling my mom when she would sneak out to go catch up with one of her friends.
3. The Experiment
As the eldest, my parents, then just my mom, had to figure out how to raise a child. All of their parenting idea failures and successes were tested on me first. Let me tell you, they didn't work out all the kinks right away. Although, I guess that's what experimentation is for. I mean, kids don't come with an instruction manual, so parents have to figure it all out on their own.
4. The Adviser
Another hat I put on is the one that makes me an adviser. I try to bestow my wisdom onto those that are younger than me. Well, as best I can with what little wisdom I have at age twenty-two. When my brother or sister want to talk, I always do my best to be there for them and be honest. Sometimes it's difficult because you don't want to hurt the ones you care about, but it may be best to be honest anyways.
5. The Shield
Honestly, this job sometimes sucks. It means that often times when things go wrong, I'm the one who gets blamed. I'm sure many of you can relate when I say that my siblings would break something and I'd get blamed instead. Not always fair.
Even though life isn't always fair, it has its perks; like having siblings. They may be a pain in the ass or not listen to me, but I'm glad they are in my life and I wouldn't have it any other way.
