Having siblings is awesome, but just like anything good, there are also many flaws.

This is especially true when you are the youngest child. As one who is the youngest of two and my 16 years of life, I have gotten a good glimpse of what it truly is like to be the youngest child.

Pros:

You learn from their mistakes. Your older sibling’s mistakes are live examples of what not to do. If they broke a rule, their consequences should be considered as warnings.

Your parents are more lenient. A lot of the rules didn’t really apply to you as much as they did with the older sibling(s). The sibling(s) may think this is unfair and they may have gotten angry, but eventually they get over it.

Having each others’ backs is a must. This applies mostly for siblings closer in age, but growing up you were mostly going through the same things. This makes you understand each other more and are able to be there for each other.

You were born already having a friend. Especially if you and your siblings are closer in age, it is easier to connect with the siblings because you were most likely going through the same stages and relating to each other was easier.

You learn to develop thick skin. All the teasing and taunting helped create a thick skin, which may help when growing and experiencing criticism and teasing.

You have your own chauffeur.  Until you turn 16 and get your license, you have a driver who takes you to all the places you want to go, and you get joy out of criticizing their driving. Then when you get your driver’s license you realize that you’re not any better of a driver.

Cons:

Your baby book is probably way smaller than your siblings. I’m not saying your parents loved you less, they were just too busy taking care of more than one child at the time and couldn’t handle giving you a mini photoshoot and follow you around with cameras.

You feel like you’re living in their shadows. They would compare you with the oldest, whether it was good or bad. You thought your parents wanted you to be as good as your sibling(s) were at something or they expected you to surpass their expectations. It is annoying to be compared with your sibling(s). Most of the time the only way to stop it is by creating your own path.

If you are really close in age, people ask if you’re twins. Yes you may look alike, but that doesn’t automatically make you twins and it doesn’t help when your mom dressed you in the same exact outfits as a child, giving people the wrong idea. Also being mistaken for them is just as annoying as asking if you’re twins, especially when your whole life you’ve tried to make it clear that you are nothing alike.

There is no newness or novelty. Your parents have seen all your oldest sibling take their first steps, ride their bike, win their first award, even graduate maybe.  Most of the things you do your parents have probably seen your siblings do, and there won’t be as much enthusiasm with your accomplishments as there was with your older siblings.

You are the errand child. The oldest siblings and the parents abuse their power over you and use as an errand child. They use the youngest child to retrieve an item for them from any location in the house even if it is right beside them.

Honestly being the youngest has many more pros than cons  but sometimes we tend to concentrate on the negatives rather than the positive qualities. Yes, older siblings can be really annoying, but they are there for you whether they want to be or not. It’s best if you learn to appreciate the good and the bad because without them you probably wouldn’t be the person you are today,