Whether you only have one older sibling or three (like me), the youngest child is always being told that virtually all their actions are correlated to "youngest child syndrome." Everyone assumes you have some inferiority complex because you idolized your older siblings, everyone thinks you can't take care of yourself. There are some things that all youngest kids can understand that our brothers and sisters just won't.
All Of Your Clothes are Hand-Me-Downs
Since two out of three of my older siblings were girls, I never bought my own clothes, but instead was generously gifted the clothes they no longer wanted. Even now, I occasionally realize that the shirt I'm wearing actually belonged to my older sister eight years ago. Of course, that means that my closet is never off-limits if they want to borrow anything because most of the stuff was originally their's anyway (that rule does not apply if I want to use their clothes, though).
You're Always Referred to as "The Baby"
No matter how old I get, I have accepted the fact that I will always be my mother's little baby. Not only do my parents call me that, but my siblings refer to me as a baby if I'm overreacting to an issue or if I'm stressed about an upcoming exam. "Does the little baby have a test coming up?" "Is the little baby upset?" One day, this little baby is going to have a not-so-little tantrum over the nickname.
There are No Photos of You Growing Up
One of the only photos my family has of me, but at least I'm in my natural habitat.
Ania Korpanty
Every time my family was reminiscing about the "good old days" and looking through photo albums, my two sisters and my brother had plenty of baby photos to go around. Every time they sat, spit, smiled, cried, laughed, or even ate soup, someone had a camera in their hands. Once it came down to me, there was really nothing there because my parents no longer had the time with three other monsters running around. My siblings always claimed that it was because once I entered, the "good old days" immediately ended. At least I can savor a few gems such as this one.
You Always Had to Play by Yourself
My sisters collectively shared over forty Barbie dolls, and I was not allowed to play with a single one. No matter how many times I begged for someone to play a round of Uno with me or a board game, no one seemed to budge. Although my brother did occasionally invite me to play video games with him, those invitations ended once he realized his little sister was awful at all games involving Mario. I learned to play Go Fish by myself.
Teachers Always Called You By Your Sibling's Name
Whether it was "Hey, you must be _____'s sister!" or just straight up calling me by one of my sister's name, teachers rarely got my name right during the first few months of school. Some teachers who never even had my siblings (a rare occurrence) would somehow still refer to me by one of their names. There were even a few times that teachers called me by my brother's name.
But You Always Knew Which Teachers Were "The Bad Ones"
Since your older siblings entered middle school and high school before you did, you always had the advantage of knowing which teachers were good to have and which teachers you had to immediately get removed from your schedule. And you always knew how to get on the math teacher's good side, since your siblings taught you how to multiply before everyone else finished understanding subtraction.
And You Know You'll Always Have the Best Support System
No matter how often my siblings and I fight, I know they'll always be my closest friends in this world. Chances are that if I'm going through something tough, one of them has already been through something similar and can guide me in the right direction. Even if they cannot relate, they're there to offer an outlet for me to release my frustration.
Older siblings are often tough to deal with, but I cannot imagine my life without them!
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