The Pros And Cons Of Being The Eldest Child

Being the eldest child, you are treated slightly differently than your other siblings and there are both good and bad things that come from this. Most people seem to claim that there are only bad things that come from being the oldest, but there are in fact some positives that come out of the situation.

Cons:

Your Parents Are Stricter On You

The single biggest complaint of any eldest child, because they are the first to do anything, and because of this, your parents are more cautious in allowing you to do things. So by the time your younger siblings get to the same age, they are allowed stay out later, go to more parties, and just generally have more freedom.

Free Babysitter

You have to stay in and mind your younger siblings, no arguments, and you got no money for it. So not only did you not get to raid the fridge in someone else's house like you usually do when babysitting, but you don't get paid either.

Your Parents Are Still Learning With You

Similar to the first point, because you are their first child, they haven't had any practice raising kids before, so things are always a little more awkward when they're making decisions, and they might not quite be consistent with their strictness all of the time.

More Pressure

There's much more pressure on you as the oldest to 'set an example' for the younger ones, and to be the mature and responsible one in every situation. And when something does go wrong or someone does something bad, it's usually you who gets the majority of the blame because you 'should have known better'.

More Responsibility

This is both a pro and a con. You have more responsibility which adds to the pressure you feel as the eldest, but the experience you get from having this extra responsibility is a good thing, as you'll see in the next point. Even if doesn't feel like it at the time.

Pros:

You Feel Protective Of Your Younger Siblings

Annoying and all as they might be sometimes, you do love them deep down, and despite all of the hassle you give them, only you're allowed to do it to them, and it feels good to protect them from anyone in school. The need to protect them does lessen over time, especially if you're like me and both of your younger brothers end up being taller than you.

You Get To Do Stuff First

I know it's only because you're the oldest, so obviously you're the first one that's allowed to drink, learn to drive, go on holidays with your friends, and other things like that. But it's still nice to know that you get to do all of these things, knowing that your younger siblings still have to wait a few more years before they can.

Your Siblings Look Up To You

It doesn't matter if you were the coolest kid in the playground, or a nerd who stayed at home all day, having a younger brother or sister meant that no matter what you were like, you always had someone that thought you were the greatest person ever.

As A Result, You Get To Mess With Them

The other fun thing about this is that because your younger siblings admire you so much, they end up believing almost anything they say, and you can use to have a bit of fun, like convincing them that there's a monster in the attic, or that Red Bull actually gives you wings.

There's More Chance Of You Being Successful

This comes back to having more responsibility, and possibly the fact that your parents had more time to devote to you because you were their only child for a time. The University of Essex released the results of a study earlier this year, saying that you are more likely to succeed if you are the first-born. Over half of all US Presidents and Nobel Prize winners have been the eldest child in their respective families. So while you shouldn't take this as a given, it's definitely a positive of being the oldest in your family.