Monday, June 3, 2013

The Official Life Cycle of Older Sibilings

I'm the baby of the family, the youngest (of two).  My brother got in four good years before I came along.  He didn't know how good it was until I came around, and completed the family (it's true, I did).

*Please note I am using brother as the older sibling, 
but the time line holds true for most all older siblings regardless of gender.

The day I was born, I'm sure my brother felt like this.
 Except, I'm sure my four year old brudder (that's how I said it when I was little), 
loved me dearly, or at least I hope so. Please note he loves me unconditionally, he loves me, I'm his best friend.

Being an older brother comes with lots of responsibilities, like paying me 'not to tell Mom and Dad', using me as an excuse for anything broken, damaged, or dirty,  and putting my life in danger (see below, yes we've done that!!!).
image
But I guess 'big brotherhood' comes with 'invisible' responsibilities as well.
Like teaching/leading by example, helping the younger one (that's me) with anything and everything, and giving advice on all sorts of life 'topics'.  His job is bigger than I thought.  If there's one thing I know for sure, I couldn't do it.

To them (the older sibling) our jobs seem 'easy', 
this is what they think being the baby of the family is like,
but they're wrong.

Sure, we might be coddled or 'spoiled' in ways that you weren't, but we had to spend our precious childhood being dragged around to your events (for years) before we got to do our own things (You'd be surprised how many games you can make up underneath the bleachers at the little league fields), getting hand me down blue boys bikes (that I pimped out with pink stickers, don't worry about it), or being compared to the 'first one' (truth be told, my parents never compared us, in their eyes we are two successful individuals, but you last children know the feeling I am talking about we'll always see ourselves as 'compared' to the other(s)). 

But big brother did always have had a higher GPA, cleaner driving record, and a more calm, cool, and collected demeanor than myself; for this I love and envy you all at the same time.  I'll blame your perfection and responsibility on your first child-ness.  Clearly if I were the first child, I'd be just like you (Not).

Then they leave the house and us youngest-ers (I just made that up) are like 'Yes'!!!!
image
 via

Now we don't have to share the 'spotlight' with the anyone.
That's cool for a about (point) two seconds until we realize all eyes are on us (and it sucks, in my case it really didn't suck, but I'm sure it could suck), and we have to watch our every move. 
And our every move is 'watched'.

And then we're like...
image

It's just not the same without you (even though I used to complain about always being compared to you and it drove me nuts)-- it's less fun without you.

And this is how I feel the life cycle of most older siblings goes, give or take a thing or two.
I guess being the baby ain't so bad after all, because I'd never be able to handle the pressure of being the first child (like ever).

Happy Monday everyone.
Where do you fall in birth order?
Do you agree with this timeline?

13 comments:

  1. hahaha I love this and I totally agree with you. I have an older brother and this is pretty accurate for how we were raised and how things worked with us.

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  2. haha this is great! I was the monkey pushing my little sister out of the way. She is the one that does no wrong though. I stayed in trouble growing up. Then when I would come home from college she would ask me why I was there. Cool. Love you too.

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  3. I am obsessed with birth order. i really think it influences how you turn out. I am the oldest (aka the best) haha but i love this!

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  4. This makes me wish that I had siblings.. I'm an only child :(

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  5. I am the oldest and I definitely felt like my little bro got "babied" I know there were definitely some rules that I had, that he didn't have to follow (for example I was never allowed to go on trips with my bf, where he starts spending spring breaks with his gf in the 10th grade). But I definitely agree that once the oldest is gone, the relationship between the two changes and we became a lot closer.

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  6. Haha. It must be an eldest child thing- I think my younger brother was babied as well! xx

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  7. I think birth order explains a ton. I'm the oldest and I fit almost every stereotype. I got to be an only child for 5 years, I was not happy when I found out it was ending. My poor brother.

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  8. i am a middle child and do think I have some of the "middle child symptoms" or whatever you want to call it! but not all of them. it is funny how with my younger brother my parents were way less strict with!

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  9. I love this, and mainly because I am on the other side of it all. I am the oldest of two and I have a sister! Good post :)

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  10. I'm the oldest and it's not the greatest. B/c well the baby always has the advantages and special treatment.

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  11. I'm the oldest and loved this post! The GIF's had me sitting here cracking up. Thanks for the quality post & entertainment!!

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  12. Hahahahaha! Love this...oh sibling love... My brother and I were too close in age to really experience "empty sibling next syndrome".

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  13. Hmm, wonder what the cycle is of the middle child? I just remember trying to keep my older brother & younger sister from fighting all the time haha

    Badluckjenn.blogspot.com

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