10 Downsides of Being the Youngest

Last week, my mother came into town. Often times, for me, dealing with my family can bring an anxiety unlike any other, but I feel like I have come to the point  in my life where I am mostly comfortable with who I am, so being around my parents does not give me the anxious feeling that I once felt. 

Having my mom in town was really awesome. She helped me in my new house, we went to the Payson temple and showed her one of my favorite hikes in Utah County. 

I love this view. So much. 

 

This deer became our best friend. :)

While she was in town, we had a talk regarding birth order. 

I am the youngest of five children. I have three older sisters and one older brother. We are a loud, opinionated, very friendly family. 

The middle and oldest children who clicked this link are rolling their eyes (as are all of my family members!) thinking to themselves, "What in the world does a spoiled youngest child have to complain about?" I know that there are a lot of positive aspects about being the youngest, like we were able to get away with a lot of behaviors that our older siblings weren't able to, which is true. But there are, also, some definite downsides.

(yes, that is me!) 

1. You are Constantly Picked On. 

Your siblings like to make fun of you, mostly because they can and you are an easy target. Being the youngest, you have to learn to have thick skin and learn to make fun of yourself, which is something that I have gotten really good at. Ha! 

2. Your Parents Are Not As Young and Energetic.

Which also means that your children will have older grandparents as well. Your parents just don't have as much energy as they did with the first kids. They are older and more tired. 

3. Your Children Won't Have Any Cousins Near Their Age. 

This one isn't always necessarily the case, but, for example, one of my sisters is done having children while the others are close to being done. My children won't have any cousins around their age to be close with! 

4. You are Not Involved in Conversations. 

When the family gets together, they love to talk about things that are always one step ahead of you. When they are married, you are single. When they have kids, you just got married. It's as though you are always one step behind them and you can't relate to them as well. I know that my sisters talk a lot of the time about parenting, and because I am at a different stage of life, I am not involved in many of those conversations. This isn't anyone's fault, but simply because I am at a different stage of life. 

5. You're Rarely Taken Seriously. 

All of your comments or ideas tend be overlooked or laughed it. It just happens. Ha. 

6. You are Constantly Being Compared. 

"Oh, you are so-and-so's little sister!" 

You are known as the youngest and whether people mean to or not, you are constantly being compared and contrasted.

7. You Will Always Be the Baby. 

Always. Like I stated before, you are just a step behind and will always be the baby. 

8. As a Kid, You Were the Errand Runner. 

Do I need to explain this any more? 

"Go get me nachos." 

9. You were Dragged To All of Your Siblings' Activities. 

I went to tons of my sisters basketball games, piano practices, dance performances, etc. We are the constant cheerleader. 

10. People are Constantly Telling You How Spoiled You Are! 

And let's not forget the most annoying downside of being the youngest: you are simply always being told how much more stuff, attention, etc. you get! Ugh. 

All of you youngest children, would you add anything?