As I sit here with my mom and dad, I think about how this house used to be filled with much more noise, activity and people throughout. Or so it seemed.

For those who don't know, I am the youngest of 3 kids, minus our sweet pup who will be 5 next year. My sister lives happily in another state where she has begun her own family. My brother on the other hand, lives within the state but hours away where he is successfully pursuing forward steps to a career.

Then there's me, a soon to be junior at Mississippi State living at home for the summer, working a small job to pass the time. Of course, at times it can get lonely here if my parents are gone, or maybe too busy to interact. It is at times like this when I think about how much my siblings mean to me, and how they really did light up the house. Which in my case this is a slight downfall of being the youngest, or baby, of the family.

However, there are some advantages which come with being the youngest child. As I list some of these advantages they may not all be true in my case but are some of the things I have heard after stating I am the youngest. Now granted, these advantages may not be quite the same for every youngest child, but they are the case for a good majority or at least the stereotype of the youngest. Along with the pros of being the last born, I will also share some myths that I have found to be false but believed true by many others.

Pro #1

Learning from the older siblings mistakes: This may seem silly at first to some, but if you pay attention to when your siblings get in trouble, it will help you tremendously in the future.

Myth #1

Youngest never gets blamed for anything: This is so beyond false in my household and I will deny this statement until the day I die. If anything I was the one who got blamed BECAUSE I was the youngest.

Pro #2

You (most likely) have a ride anytime you ask nicely and they're available: Honestly I can't lie, I definitely was thankful that I had a ride to and from school that didn't include a long, yellow bus.

Myth #2

Spoiled beyond belief: Yes I am sure some kids out there got everything they wanted and more, but that myth is not as true as you think it would be.

Pro #3

Your authority might be tired out by the time you come: Say you have 4 messy, trouble making brothers, and you're the only girl, trust me by the time your parents get to you they will be beyond relieved to give you freedom. To them, you're like an angel.

Myth(ish) #3

Hand-Me-Down Central: The reason for the ish is because yes in some ways you might have hand me downs, but you might be the one to get everything new. Let's be honest by the time the clothes fit, they were quite out of style.