You know how the story goes. You’re out with a group of friends on a Friday night grabbing dinner, and you tell the host how many people are in your party. He grabs a stack of menus, turns to lead you to your table and then hesitates, glancing back over his shoulder to look at you.
You see the eyes dart back to the menus. You think, “Oh, no. Please no. Not tonight.” But it’s too late. The crayons are coming out, and the host is waving a coloring page in your face.
“Do you need any kids’ menus?”
And for the 50th time in your life, you are subjected to the taunting and laughter of those around you as your true identity of “baby of the group” is once again unveiled to the general public.
If you were the friend looking wise beyond your years, good for you. If you were the baby of the group, however, here are 11 pros and cons to help cushion the blow, from one baby-faced young adult to another.
1. Pro: You never have to worry about being the responsible one.
If your birthday was just a few days short of the cut off, good news – in a group of friends, no one will ever expect you to lift a finger and help. You are young and innocent, after all. Leave all the grown-up stuff to the big kids.
2. Con: No one will trust you with responsibility.
Unless being designated driver counts, never having to worry about responsibilities can quickly turn into never having any responsibilities. If you are more of an independent, type-A kind of individual, this can get really old really fast (no pun intended).
3. Pro: No one will mistake you for someone’s mom (or dad).
You will never get to experience that delightfully awkward moment when someone asks, “So is she yours?” Sure, someone may confuse babysitter for brother or sister once or twice, but at the end of the day, no one will think you gave birth to one of your friends.
4. Con: You will get ID’d. Everywhere.
Got pulled over for no apparent reason at all? It was because you didn’t look old enough to even be behind the wheel, much less driving the car. Wanted to see that new R-rated movie? You were the only person in your group stopped for identification purposes. Tried to enjoy an evening out with friends? Nice try.
5. Pro: Everyone treats you like the cool little sibling they never had.
Being baby of the group is on the same level as being the family pet. People ‘ooh’ and ‘ah’ over you, drag you around to fun events, and try to feed you weird things.
6. Con: Can anyone say "overprotective?"
Nobody puts baby in the corner.
7. Pro: The older you get, the better you look.
At a certain age in life, which is debatable based on personal preference, the kids’ menus and bouncers will transform from what was once annoying to instantly flattering. Besides, who doesn’t like to color? (also, see No. 3)
8. Con: Baby face.
Sorry to break it to you, but chubby cheeks never go away, and you will never escape the word “cute.”
9. Pro: You are the lovechild of two generations.
Here’s to the '90s kids who barely remember any part about the '90s, but do recall just enough to be able to get a decent score on a BuzzFeed quiz. Also to those who idolized Britney Spears because the 2000s were magical.
10. Con: You refuse to identify with the selfie generation, but you can't escape it.
It doesn’t matter whether or not you’ve taken a selfie in your entire life. You have already been branded by the front-facing camera.
11. Pro: Someone always has your back.
No matter how many times you get lost in nostalgic conversations too ancient for your youth, or frustrated with how overprotective your friends get, you can be sure that if you are the baby of the group, your friends will always have your back.
You may have a baby face, and you may have to wait outside the restaurant while your friends grab the food and drinks from inside, but they are in front of you, beside you and most importantly, next to you on your journey through life.
So next time someone offers you a kids’ menu and crayons, stop and weigh these 11 pros and cons in your mind. You'll find at least some of the time, being the baby of the group doesn’t get old (pun intended).
