I’m Glad I’m Not the Middle Child
By Ana Rodriguez
In all honesty, I believe neither being the oldest nor the youngest is worse or better than the other. Both have their responsibilities and difficulties.
Like in Judy’s case, the oldest usually is peer pressured to pave the way for their younger siblings. In most cases they must help out the most around the house simply because they are more mature. Also, dealing with younger siblings is just dreadful. They take all your stuff, even the attention you once had all to yourself. Does that seem fair? I don’t think so. I’m the youngest and that’s a complaint my brother always had.
“Dad would always buy me toys and take me out to eat. Then you came and that was gone,” says my brother constantly, rolling his eyes with a snark on his face.
This sounds harsher than it is but don’t worry. My brother and I get along just fine. He’s just a sassy man.
All jokes aside, I think many of the oldest children can relate to him. It seems selfish to think this way but it’s understandable. Imagine having everything you wanted and then suddenly your parents come back with another human being that will take everything away.
Now on a more personal level, I’m the youngest child and though you’d think I have it easier because my brother paved the way, I’ll have to disappoint you because that’s not the case with me. To put it in the nicest way, my brother was not the smartest when making choices, so when it came to school he never took it seriously. I think if you could major in the streets he’d be valedictorian. He thought life was sweet and now he regrets not being a regular kid.
Due to that I have to deal with the pressure from my parents to take school seriously and graduate. Plus my parents have not seen either of us walk a stage, not even the middle school promotion. Mine unfortunately got canceled due to COVID, and my brother, well he was in the principal’s office more than he was in a classroom. Now I’m left with the pressure to graduate. My mom never leaves me alone when it comes to school.
“Have you done your homework? I don’t see you doing homework. Why do you have a B?” says my mom.
These are constant phrases I have to hear and it gets tiring. I hate school in all honesty but I do it because I feel like I owe her for all the hard work and effort she’s done to make sure I have a better future.
With this said, yes, I may have it hard, Judy may have it hard, but does anyone have it harder than the middle child? I think we can all agree that in reality being the middle child is the worst because they are usually the forgotten child. I believe that messes them up mentally and thats harder than anything physical the youngest and oldest child have to go through. At this point, being an only child is the best case scenario.
Why Being the Oldest Kind of…Stinks
By Judy Romero
Contrary to popular belief, being your parents’ first born actually sucks.
As the oldest sibling myself, I’ve experienced it all. Having the responsibility of having to take care of your siblings, being embarrassed by them, getting beat up (with quite literally anything that fits in their hand) by them and not being able to do anything about it because, “You’re the oldest and you know better.” If I was a cat, I would be on the last of my nine lives due to the migraines my two siblings have given me over the years.
Growing up in a hispanic household as the oldest is definitely an experience! I was often “too young” and “too old” to do a lot of things. I was old enough to have chores but I was too young to have a cell phone. My restrictions could not compare to the ones my sisters have now. I wasn’t allowed to get away with a lot of things, due to five years of being an only child. My parents tend to focus more on me even to this day.
Both of my younger siblings have gotten away with things that I would have been on timeout for until the age of fifty. My sisters however, just get a “iYa, parale!” And that’s it.
Where are the sit-down at the kitchen table life lessons? Where are the revoked electronic devices privileges?
My sisters have gotten so many things I could only dream of having when I was their age. They are so privileged and they don’t even know it.
It’s so annoying seeing your parents care less and less about what your siblings do knowing that you would have gotten in trouble for it if you were them.
This might just be a me thing, but going back to those five years of being an only child really affected me when I was younger and truly shaped me into the person I am today, believe it or not. Since my younger sister and I are five years apart, that means my youngest sister and I are seven years apart. At home, it was tough having someone to be with.
Both my sisters got along and liked the same things. I was always by myself. I truly believe this is the reason I sometimes tend to be shy and reserved.
Don’t get me wrong, I love my sisters, but getting your world flipped upside down from one day to the next due to their birth is a hard pill to swallow. You’re not the baby anymore, you won’t be able to be with your parents 24/7, you’re going to have to grow up faster than ever before and have much more responsibilities.
Although this all sounds depressing and it seems like I single-handedly carried my sisters on my shoulders (which I did, but that’s for another issue), being the oldest can be really fun.
I always get shotgun whenever I ask for it, I have my own room, and I get paid for taking care of my sisters.
There’s also the corny aspect to being the oldest, which is that you get mini versions of yourself. As my sisters got older, I realized that they have become more like me everyday. They follow me around like little ducklings follow their mother. They listen to me more than they listen to my parents and they look up to me, which is honestly so cute to think about.
Even with the loss of my eight lives, I wouldn’t be happier having lived it with none other than my sisters.
