Being the oldest has its ups and downs. The ups include being the first to drive, having first choice in clothes (no hand me downs, whoop), and let's be real, you're the favorite for a while. The downs include dealing with your parent's obsession of your whereabouts, taking your other siblings everywhere, and taking on grown-up responsibilities at a young age. The point of this article isn't to tell you how awesome or sucky it is to be the oldest sibling, but to explain why it's such an important role in your family.
To explain the significance, I'll use scenarios from my family. I am the oldest of four children. Having two sisters (16 and 12) and a brother (10) is a heavy load for both of my parents. Time management is something that mom and dad have mastered. I'm thankful that I have the support from both of my parents when it comes to who I want to be and the things I want to do in life. While life is stressful for my parents trying to provide a healthy lifestyle for four children, there are little things here are there that they ask me to do to help ease their load.
The physical responsibilities of the older sibling includes transportation, cleaning, cooking, assisting with homework, etc. Basically, you're a second mom, which can definitely be annoying as a kid. I never wanted to do anything when it came to chores or driving my siblings around everywhere, I would get very aggravated, especially throughout my teenage years. I admit I was very selfish when it came to helping around the house, and I never realized how much I was helping my mom out by doing the little things. I regret not making my her life easier sooner.
The emotional responsibilities are where the importance of your role in the family is most vital. Sure, your siblings will annoy the hell out of you at some point in time, and you guys will argue quite a lot. That's normal. When you're not at each other's throats, your job is to be the bigger person in every situation. The emotional aspect of being the oldest includes looking after everyone who looks up to you. Whether you see it or not, at some point in time, your younger siblings will look up to you. Whether they validate you as a good or bad role model is up to them. Regardless, they will follow in your footsteps when it comes to behavior, your attitude with your parents, the decisions you make on a daily basis, etc.
Your job is to take care of them and to make sure that they do or do not make the same decisions you made at their age. Your job is to look after them, physically and emotionally. Help them with their homework, take them to get ice cream when they're stressed, hang out with them, and most important of all, love them. You never know how much time you have left until it's already gone.
I want you older kids in the family to understand how important it is to help your folks out and to love your siblings. Don't take any time for granted, and always understand that it's best to help out without having been asked to. You can help your parents and your siblings out in more ways than you think. Being the oldest sibling will always give you a parental role, don't waste it. Appreciate your loved ones, and the time you have together.
Thank you Mom, Dad, Emily, Katie, and Toby for all the love and support you give me.
