April 10th is National Sibling Day! Having a sibling is the biggest blessing there is. They become your very best friend(s) and you can count on them for almost anything and vice versa. You’ve lied to your parents together, kept secrets, and had the most fun together growing up. A sibling is your lifetime partner(s) in crime. Whether you’re the youngest, the oldest, or somewhere in the middle, you know you love your siblings and probably couldn’t live without them.
With myself being the baby of my family, here are some perks and downfalls of being the youngest:
Three words: hand-me-downs. From clothes to toys to everything in between, everything eventually gets passed down to you. I don’t know if this is a benefit or not but reduce, reuse, recycle right? You may have hated it at the time when you never got anything new that you could call your own, but you can’t deny the cuteness of going through old pictures and seeing your big sis in a dress when she was a baby and then a few years later, you’re in the same one.
Your baby book is MUCH smaller than your older siblings. Mom and dad get pretty lazy after baby number 2 and on. Have you ever noticed that your older sisters and brothers have those picture frames with a picture of them every month of their first year? And then you look at yours and you have a picture in month 1, 2, maybe 3 and then they just stopped trying all together. You get upset for a minute, but then you realize that having multiple babies is a pretty hard job and it definitely doesn’t mean they love you any less.
Rules of the house don’t apply to you. By the time your parents got to you, they become a little more lenient. You were able to do more things and a curfew didn’t really exist. This made your older siblings really angry, but it was awesome for you and they got over it eventually.
You know if someone tries to mess with you, your older sibling(s) has your back. Sometimes it can be embarrassing, but comforting to know you will always be protected. From mean girls, to bad boyfriends, your older siblings have got you covered.
Being endlessly teased and tortured. For some reason older siblings love to pick on the baby. If something goes wrong, it’s automatically your fault. Also, you’re forever getting pranked and harassed, but you have to grow a tough skin somehow. Being the youngest definitely makes you strong.
Your older siblings are forced to do things for you. Whenever you needed a ride somewhere, they had to do it against their will because that’s just how it goes.
You will forever be the baby. You always got special treatment and whether your parents admit it or not, you’re definitely the favorite.
What are your favorite and least favorite parts about being the baby of the family? Tweet us your answers @UConnHC!