Who said being the younger sibling isn’t a life of luxury? Feast on these awesome pluses of being the young sibling!

1) Spoiler alert

If you are the younger sibling, you are automatically spoiled by your whole family, including your older sibling(s)! Everyone in the family adores you and showers you with love and gifts, which are always appreciated. Plus, depending on how much older your sibling is, once that sibling has a stable job, he or she becomes your clutch when your parents refuse to deliver on certain of your wants, like those name brand shoes or that purse you just have to get.

2) Sharing is caring!

As the younger sibling, especially growing up, puppy dog eyes are your best friend when it comes to pretty much anything. If your sibling has something you want, you can get it, satisfaction guaranteed. Just bring that request and your best puppy dog eyes to your parents. Nine times out of ten, they will make your older sibling share with you because sharing is caring! (And because they are older. Ha!)

3) Scapegoat

It is usually difficult to conceal that snarky grin as you watch your older sibling come under fire for something you actually initiated. However, it turns out you are not the eldest, so you do not get blamed for not being more “responsible” or “mature.” The older sibling “should know better.” This famous phrase is what gets the older one in trouble instead of you, even though sometimes there is hardly much age difference between you and your older sibling. Nevertheless, we appreciate and enjoy our older sibling being our scapegoat from time to time.

4) Smooth sailing

By the time you come along, your parents have already had a trial run with your older sibling. This means you get to have and do things earlier than they did. For example, as time passes, the necessity of a child having a cell phone is pushed to an earlier and earlier age. So, whereas your sibling waited until 16 to get a phone, you have one by the age of 13. This kind of thing makes older siblings livid by the way. But …well …such is life. The good life. #iaintsorry.

5) “So, how do you feel about that?”

Your older sibling is your role model, as he or she has paved the way for you. All you have to do is watch their lead and learn from their mistakes, especially when it comes to dealing with your parents and household matters. Older siblings are the best counselors. Since they have “been there,” they offer the best practical advice you will ever get, and it is always good to hear it from someone kind of close to your age.

6) Bribe gifts

Second to last but definitely not least (and I probably should not have revealed this one) is bribe gifts. As the younger sibling, you can rest assured that you are going to witness some things, hear things, or find out things about your older sibling that will benefit your whole life. Remember that time your parents said your older sibling could not have friends over, but you saw them do just the opposite? What did you buy with the $20 they gave you to keep your mouth shut? And these bribe gifts are not always in the form of money. Sometimes, depending on the urgency the situation, you can actually choose your bribe gift. If you are a successful bargainer, your sibling may end up doing your chores for a month!

7) Bodyguard

Your older sibling will literally beat you up all day, taunt and tease you, play pranks on you and get you in trouble with your parents, but if another person even so much as breathes a threatening word towards you, they are the first at your defense—your own personal body guard. How’s that for bragging rights?