So many people have this thing they cast, a shadow, yes a shadow. Physically or not, they leave an impression.

Being the youngest, many people think “wow you must get your way a lot”, but in all honestly, you don’t. Your parents now know all the tricks you may pull, sneaking out at night, leaving that one window unlocked, taking a sip of alcohol when you shouldn’t, and or any other common teenage trick up your sleeve. Your parents now know it all and are prepared this time to handle the situation.

Yes, we may be allowed out a little later, have more shopping sprees with mom, but that’s only because they figured out that the curfew didn’t work for your siblings. They realized that you have lived your life through hand me downs and never really had any outfits of your own.

At least you become free when your old enough to live on your own, and you aren’t under your parent’s scrutiny, and when they are ready for you to be out of the house. They are ready to go on their own vacations and their own adventures that they have wanted to take for years.

Now to the sibling situation. You have always been the one to be picked on. The one that’s blamed for hitting, biting, or even just stealing some of your sibling’s clothing. You have been the one to receive the brute of the punishment, or at that time when younger, you thought it was worse that you couldn’t have ice cream, or go to your friend’s house.

Other than being picked on, you have always been in their shadow. If your sibling has done well in life, done well in school, you’re automatically compared to them. You always get that nagging toned voice from your parents: “you should be like your sister and or brother”. Then there are times when if your sibling was more disobedient, you receive the: “don’t pull a snippy tone with me” as if having a sassy tone was created by your older sister or brother.

But when your siblings do well, you are compared to them. You see that things have gone well for them; they did well in college, found a job right away in their field, they are married, have kids, and a beautiful house and life.

You feel as if you’re in their shadow, being compared to how they received their first full time job right away, how things just seemed to line up perfectly for them, and or even found their husband/wife in college. It is hard. You are not them, and that is what stinks; because you are being compared to someone who isn’t you.

Don’t let yourself think less of yourself if you have yet to accomplish what they accomplished when they were your age. Things may have gone differently for you, maybe you played a college sport and had a tough major when your siblings didn’t, maybe you chose a major that would make less money in the future but made you happy, maybe you are the accident prone one of the family and are constantly in the hospital, and or maybe you just chose a different route completely and joined the military. Any of these situations could have held you back even further from that destination of finishing school, getting that degree, having that exciting life of travel, finding the perfect job and or even the perfect significant other.

Even though your parents may have compared you to your siblings your whole life, you have to realize you are a different person. A different person from your sibling with different dreams, ideas, and a different personality. Maybe what you truly want to do isn’t some big shot job like a doctor or a lawyer, but a simple artist or a teacher. A job that will make you happy and proud of who you are, even when maybe it’s not seen as prestigious or as fantastic as a doctor or lawyer. Who cares. Don’t be your sibling's shadow that you have resided in for way too long. Don’t look down on yourself or allow others to look down on you as well just because you aren’t where your siblings were at when they were your age.

You are not your brother or sister, you may not have the same passion as them, and or the same drive at times. You are yourself and you should be proud of that. You should not be their shadow, the shadow that is referred back to, to not be like your sibling or to be like them.

Being the youngest of the family, may seem like you get handed things from the outside viewpoint, but in reality, you are compared the most. You are the one with a blank slate who still has to fill it but yet your parents and siblings have already filled or are filling theirs.

So step out of that shadow you seem to be placed in, and be whoever, whatever you want to be, just be yourself. Be the youngest of your family.