No matter your line-up in your family in regards to siblings (aka the first born, the middle child, the baby, etc.), there seems to be a stigma surrounding your birth order. The first child is one who gets a lot of the attention, the one who is the "prized" child and the one who didn't get away with much. The middle child is thought to be the one who gets ignored, who flys under the radar the most. But the baby of the family (ME) is the one who gets away with the most, who is spoiled rotten and who has the great pleasure of getting to learn from every victory and mistake of their older siblings. Being the baby of the family definitely has it's perks, but throw in being the baby and being the only girl, you've officially hit the jackpot.
Being the baby of the family means getting away with things that your older siblings couldn't. By this I don't mean that I was a rebel or that I never got in trouble, on the contrary, I colored in the lines as nicely as possible and refrained from breaking the rules. But, I was the first of us three children to have a TV in her room before being in high school. I was also able to get out of being grounded or having my phone taken away the easiest -- aka begging both my mom and dad seemed to do the trick. I would be the last to get spanked or get punished, and by the time my parents went down the line, their tiredness took a toll and therefore, I didn't get punished as bad.
Being the baby of the family means hand-me-downs, and this can be a perk or disadvantage depending on what you like. For the most part, boy hand-me-downs are a blessing. Big comfy shirts, sweats, PJ pants and oversized sweatshirts are what I live for. Hand-me-downs from brothers are easy, comfy and there isn't usually a fight when I took their clothes. I can only imagine how hand-me-downs go when there is more than one girl in the family because let's be honest, what girl likes seeing her sister wearing her clothes? Few, and far between.
Being the baby of the family means always being protected (maybe a little more than normal especially if you're the only girl) and knowing that your older siblings are there to help you if you're in trouble. My brothers are very protective of me, and I know that if I was every stuck in a bad situation, they would be the first ones to get me out of it. They have my back 100 percent and heaven help the boy who tries to mess with me. They both have my best interests at heart, and even though I sometimes don't listen, I know that no matter what, they are always going to protect me.
Being the baby of the family means being the guinea pig or the servant to your older siblings. I don't know why but us babies of the family are easy to convince. Our older siblings would tell us to do something, and we would do it no matter what. Maybe we figure they are older than us, wiser than us and that they have done it to so we do it, trusting wholeheartedly that our siblings will follow. Older siblings would use their rank in the sibling's lineup to get what they wanted from the baby. If they wanted to change the channel, they could even if you were was watching it because "they were older." It's just the way it was when you were growing up.
Being the baby of the family means having siblings who set an example for you, and who you can look up to. No matter their success or their failures, your siblings can act as a mentor to you. From their successes, you can learn what they did to get there, how hard they worked and just their overall experience to get there. Their mistakes present another learning opportunity in that you can learn what they did wrong, how it could've been prevented and how the came back from that mistake. Life is all about the ups and downs, and sure you'll have your own, but at least you have older siblings to help guide you through the process.
Being the baby of the family means (more often than not) going to the same schools your siblings did, having the same teachers and them and always being asked: "Oh, are you such and such's sibling?" They would recount memories of having your sibling in their class, and would ultimately set their expectations accordingly. You would either exceed their expectations or fall short based on their knowledge of having your sibling years beforehand. It's and interesting experience but being the baby and attending the same schools allowed there to be a point of bonding between your siblings and you.
While we are on the topic of schooling, being the baby also means having someone experience the "scary stuff" before you - aka going off to college, starting their career, getting married, starting a family, etc. Lucky for me, I have two great examples for those "scary" things. My oldest brother attended West Virginia University (WVU), which was nice because he already knew so many things about the school and the area and could help me out accordingly. My first days here at WVU were less scary because I had him to give me advice, tips and just general knowledge before attending in the spring of 2015. Scary things are less scary when you know that your siblings before you have completed, conquered and succeeded at those things.
To be honest, I don't remember much of my early childhood - my memory doesn't go back that far, But, if pictures are any indication of my relationship with my two brothers, then I had them wrapped around my finger. To this day, they tease me about being a "whoops" baby and that my father cried when I was born simply because he wanted me to be a boy. Rough, I know. However, those photos from when we were kids were far from that. I cherish my two brothers and our countless memories together, and I'm glad that God decided to put me with those two goofballs. I am extrememly grateful for them, and for being their baby sister.
