Ah, the perks of growing up the youngest. Let me tell you, being the youngest in a family any size has its pros, but being the youngest of seven? That is the real winner. Think about it: my siblings were all substantially older than me. With my oldest brother being 13 years older than me, we were in two entirely different worlds under one roof. Here are a few perks of being the youngest.

1. Stricter Leniency (if that’s even possible??)

While yes, being the youngest means your parents have seen pretty much every story in the books and you can’t get away with much, it also means you get a bit more wiggle room than your older siblings did at your age. In my family, soda was like the holy grail growing up. We were only allowed to have soda on Friday night pizza nights. And to top that off, you were only allowed to drink soda when you were older than 12. I, however, got to drink soda as a little pipsqueak on pizza nights because the rest of my siblings were drinking soda. My older siblings didn’t get their first cellphone until freshman year of high school; my first phone (a teal Juke -- sensitive subject let’s not talk about it) made an appearance in sixth grade.

2. More hand-me-downs than you can keep track of.

Hand-me-downs can be the best and the worst things ever. I only have one sister, so the hand-me-downs weren’t as voluminous, and sometimes what she looked killer in in 1996 didn’t quite fit the style when I was her age 11 years later. But, as we get older, I still get the little sister perks and I still get hand-me-downs galore from her (and maybe the occasional oversized t-shirt or sweater from my brothers).

3. Free rides.

By the time I was 13, all of my siblings could drive and it was amazing. You ever have those moments when your parents ask your older sibling to drive you and they’re in a bad mood so they say no? Yeah, that’s happened to me too, but luckily there were five other siblings to try and get to say yes at any given moment. Not to mention, how cool was it when one of your older siblings came to pick you up from school? (Sorry Mom and Dad, it's just cooler if they do it).

4. The love of teachers and other adults.

Now this one only works of course if the adults actually liked your older siblings. I, luckily, had six older siblings who set the bar perfectly. In every new school I entered, my reputation preceded me. I was “the last Davis.” Of course, I always told them my parents had saved the best for last. But seriously, having a sibling or five before you in school that was a good egg worked wonders for your reputation among teachers.

5. Learn from their mistakes.