5 Reasons Why Being The Oldest Sibling Means Being The Best Sibling
I hear great things about being the youngest sibling. The youngest gets to do more with little convincing (or none at all); the youngest gets yelled at less over his or her lifetime than each of the older siblings did in high school alone; the youngest gets to learn from the older ones, etc.
All of this is true for the youngest in my family, and thank God! How would she know university is a waste of time and money if she came first?
But, let’s talk about being the oldest because it’s awesome! I’m the oldest to three sisters, which is why I’ve never wanted it any other way.
1. I get to be the cool sister – at least to the youngest.
I was 8 years old when my youngest sister was born, and I remember being ecstatic that I was going to get to be the cool, older sister.
Yeah, I was already an older sister to two, but they’re too close in age to me to think I’m cool. But, the baby, I had high hopes for.
So, when that baby asked me to buy her alcohol for the first time 16 years later, I thought I was going to die of flattery. And, I was her first-choice sister for the task! I almost burst into happy tears! Clearly, I was not only officially cool, but the coolest!
2. I have cheerleaders by birthright!
Okay, this pretty much goes for everyone with good siblings, regardless of birth order, but sometimes, the oldest is the assumed source of support. I assure you, it goes both ways.
The sister I’m closest to in age drunk dials me her love. The next in line texts me random novellas, complimenting my blog. The youngest melts my heart by saying uncharacteristically sweet things, like how much she cares about my pride when I’m about to text a guy something questionable. #LoveThem
3. The youngest is my texting guru.
Speaking of texting, bless the little one!
Twenty-something dating needs high-school texting expertise. My youngest sister is currently in 11th grade, so she’s long-graduated from Texting University, while I remain in texting kindergarten.
I’m only 25, so I’m not a complete texting disaster, but I take a long time to reply, and I insist on my texts being grammatically correct, which my sister has repeatedly said makes my messages sound dry.
Although I still refuse to discontinue proper use of periods as per her texting style, my little sister is my most valuable source of texting advice.
4. Sometimes, my siblings listen to me!
I don’t typically lecture my sisters.
(Okay, I occasionally give warnings. For example, when a guy does something to irritate me, like send an unsolicited photo, it’s not uncommon for my little sister to hear things like, “Start dating now; otherwise you’ll have this to look forward to in your 20s!”)
People tune out lecturing. I prefer to share my experiences and let the girls form their own takeaways.
Normally, I assume they aren’t listening to me, but sometimes, I notice they are! Sometimes, they’ll say things I know came from my mouth or The Happiness Experiment, my blog.
That moment one of your sisters quotes you in her Instagram bio, you'll experience a whole other level of emotionally touching!
5. I break the ice for my sisters, not just with our parents, but also in life.
Because I hit every milestone first, I did most things before my sisters, so my parents were already used to short skirts, clubbing and being asked to borrow their cars by the time my sisters reached those points.
Again, two of my sisters are close enough to me in age that the three of us were in high school at the same time, but I was head of the herd and I liked it that way. I felt like I was fighting overprotectiveness for a cause, clearing much of my middle sisters’ paths and basically securing the little one a free ride.
But, it’s not the teenage battles against parental blockades that matter most; it’s everything that followed. It’s all I’ve done — the good and the bad — that they’ve gotten to watch or read about.
It’s the lessons they may have vicariously learned, the most important of which is that happiness is a choice.
