Being the Oldest Child

            There are many good and bad things to being the oldest child. Some people think it would be neat to be the oldest while others like being the middle or youngest child. Now you can look at the pros and cons of being the oldest child.

            One advantage of being oldest is the chance to do things first. Some of the events are becoming a teenager, going to high school, driving and leaving the house all before a younger sibling(s). Another positive idea to being the oldest child is the ability to do more things and have more opportunities. An older sibling can leave the house more, do more activities at school, and there might be the chance of being invited or going to more parties or events. Another plus is sometimes younger siblings look up to older siblings. This might not sound good but it is exciting when it happens. It feels good to be able to help someone, who asks for help. The last advantage is that one’s parents sometimes trust an older sibling more than they would their youngest child.

            While being the oldest has many advantages it also has plenty of disadvantages as well. A big negative of being the oldest child is getting in trouble more often. Parents expect more out of an older child so they notice more when they do something incorrectly quicker than they would a younger sibling. Another downside to being the oldest is that there is a greater chance you will be stuck babysitting. This is because it is an easy way for the parents to get a sitter and they (parents) don’t have to pay their own child. Another disadvantage of being the oldest is that many people pay more attention to the younger kids of the family, because they might be cuter or funnier. The last con of being the oldest child is parents expect the older sibling to be more responsible. That is another reason why the older sibling gets in trouble more often. Parents know you’re older so they think you should have better behavior, which is hard sometimes.

            Now as one can see, it is hard to decide if being older is good or bad. There are many things to know before you make your decision.