I remember those eight years of being the only child, life was pretty good since all the attention was on me. I didn’t have any kind of competition or sharing of mom and dad... then things changed.

My little brother was born, actually on my 8th birthday. The one day that is all about you, and I now had to share it with someone else. Eight-year-old me was pissed off and most likely petty about the whole situation. Much later another person was added to the family and my little sister was born. After experiencing the years with my brother, and now with my sister, I realized having little siblings has actually been beneficial to me in many ways and I love them both very much.

Having them both around has taught me responsibility, from babysitting to the occasional drives to soccer practices. It has also made me want to become a better role model for them which has pushed me to where I am today. I want them to see me trying to reach my goals, and for them to do the same as well. I also had to learn so many things by myself, because I didn’t have that older sister/brother to go to for advice.

Another pro to being the oldest is that I did get away with way more since I was their test drive child (sorry mom and dad). I do know though that my brother has seen many of my mistakes over the years, and I hope that instead of repeating them, they will both do the opposite and learn from them instead. I’m not promising anything, though.

Since I was the only (golden) child for that short time, the family was obsessed with me, of course, so a million pictures were taken. I could fill a room with all the different memories that were documented of me. So that is yet another reason why you should want to be #1 in the family.

My all-time favorite stunt to pull is the "I was born first" excuse, which usually works with just about anything, including the front seat of the car and what restaurant we are going to eat at.

The only child years were fun and all, but I wouldn’t be able to say all of the above if it weren’t for my younger siblings. I’m sure there’s also some good in being the middle or the youngest too, but from what I have gotten out of it is that being the oldest is the best. Glad I can be your guys' mentor forever, and still be able to annoy you.