Growing up as the oldest of three children I have had the chance to experience all of the advantages and challenges that accompany the position. There are times when I recognize it as a blessing, and times when I observe my younger siblings and wish I could trade my standing in the family.

Here are some of the pros and cons I have found of being the oldest:

Pros:

1.You get to be the boss

This has had its perks since a very young age.I always got to choose the games we played as young kids. I also got to choose the movies we watch, have control over the remote, and the front seat is permanently mine.

2. You’re the responsible one from day one

Although this provides some pressure, it’s always fun to be the one that your parents trust the most. You get to be the one that people like babysitters look to when your parents aren’t around, and you know what is really best for your siblings. When you are left home alone you hold the fort down, and you learn important life skills at a young age.

3. You know at the end of the day, you’re your parents favorite

Yeah, you might butt heads with your parents the most as the oldest, and the youngest gets all the attention for being the cutest the longest, you know that you hold the most special place in your parent's heart.

You’re their first kid, so you provide them with so many new experiences. Being the first born, first to attend school, first off to college, provides parents with experiences they can’t get with anyone else in the world and that makes you special.

Cons:

1. You’re the guinea pig

As the oldest child, you’re the first to experience everything. Your parents watch you go through each stage in life, and anything that doesn’t work, they make sure your younger siblings don’t have to experience that.

Any hard classes you have to take, or useless skills you need to learn, the younger siblings get excused from after you prove they aren’t worth it.

2. You take the blame for everything

No matter who does what, you’re always to blame. If your parents hear yelling, you’re the one who started it. If you’re fighting, you’re wrong because you should know better and you need to cut the little ones some slack.

3. Your siblings get away with everything you didn’t

I had a bedtime until I was in seventh grade and I never watched R rated movies until high school. Parents start off making strict rules, but by the time they have their youngest, the curfews get later, and the responsibilities grow thinner.

Watching your little sibling live by much more lenient rules than you had can be brutal.