12 Surprising Benefits of Being the Oldest Male Sibling
Do you think you got the short end of the stick in life by being the oldest male sibling? Your parents might have used you as a free babysitting service. Your parents also might have been stricter on you than your siblings because they expected more from you. However, your upbringing probably molded you into the person you are today. Here are 12 surprising benefits of being the oldest male child in a family.
1. You Set The Bar on Expectations
This benefit could be a double-edged sword depending on your motivation to excel in life. As the oldest sibling in your family, you can set the bar on expectations from your family. In other words, if you excel and do well, every child born after you will be judged by your accomplishments. However, this is only a benefit if you strive to excel.
2. You’re Perceived as the Responsible One
As previously mentioned, being the oldest male sibling means that you can always set the bar of familial expectations. This also means that you will always be perceived as the responsible one among your siblings. As the first-born oldest male sibling, your parents may have turned to you for free babysitting or made you privy to information first before the other siblings. As the oldest male sibling, you can be perceived to be the responsible one, or you can be it, it’s up to you.
3. The Oldest Male Sibling is the Strong One
Do you think it’s rough being the oldest male sibling? Think about being the youngest for a moment. The youngest child, whether male or female, usually feels insecure and like they always have to prove their worth to the family and the world. Meanwhile, the family treats the youngest like a baby, no matter how old they get. The oldest male sibling is usually perceived as being emotionally and physically stronger than the rest.
4. You Got The Most Attention
As the oldest male sibling, you probably got all of the attention from your parents at a young age. At one time, you were the only male child in your family and your parents may have pinned a lot of their future hopes on you. As you got older and your parents had more kids, of course you got less attention. Still, you probably get the lion’s share of attention as the eldest sibling and are perceived as the best example to the other siblings.
5. Jealously Magnet
Jealousy and envy are negative emotions, but no one can eradicate the reality of sibling rivalries. While you should not let it get to your head, you can also take pride in the fact that your siblings probably look up to you as the oldest male sibling. You may have been a jealousy magnet in your family without realizing it. As long as it doesn’t become malicious and it inspires younger siblings to take more initiative, then there is nothing wrong with it.
6. Pranking
As the oldest male sibling, you can take good-natured advantage of your younger, naive siblings. If you’re a merry prankster who doesn’t take such things too far, then there is nothing wrong with some good-natured pranking. Just do it in a good-natured way to build up experience and maturity in your siblings. Also, as the eldest male sibling, you can get away with it while they are younger.
7. Learning to be Overprotective Yet Fair
Even though you are not their parents, you may learn to feel overprotective of your younger siblings, even though you are not their parent. Give your younger siblings room to learn from their mistakes without being overbearing. Your siblings may need advice or help from you throughout your life, so remember it is a tremendous responsibility. Treat this responsibility as an honor.
8. Everyone Comes to You for Advice
If you are one of those people who hate being relied on for advice, then you may not appreciate this responsibility. Just imagine being the type of person that no one goes to for help or to get an opinion from. As the oldest male sibling, your siblings may come to you for advice often, especially if you’ve proven that you can take care of yourself. Your siblings may come to you first in lieu of the parents sometimes. Don’t take this responsibility for granted, your siblings may stop doing it one day. Also, you get to imbue your advice and lessons into them just as much as your parents if you play your cards right.
9. You Might Be the Smartest Sibling
A recent research study suggests that the eldest sibling, which can include the oldest male sibling, is usually the smartest child in the family. A 2019 study by the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth suggests that firstborn children strive in academics and are more confident because parents invest more time, energy, and care into them. This is not to say that parents automatically care less for subsequent children; the newness of parenthood bequeaths an aura of attention and specialness on a firstborn child that wears off as more kids are born.
10. You Can Watch Your Siblings Grow Up
People in families sometimes say that they don’t know each other or can’t relate to one another. Families usually know each other better than they care to admit. Differences in age and birth order can warp the perceptions of what one sibling endures in life relative to another. One benefit of being the oldest male sibling is that you can witness all your other siblings grow up, cherish such memories, learn from their experiences, and help them relate to each other better by sharing such memories. It’s never too late to do such.
11. Your Parents Bonded to You First
It’s an awful thing for younger siblings to realize that their parents have a favorite child, but it happens a lot. When said or unsaid, it can be obvious in some families who the favorite child is, and it is usually the firstborn or the oldest male sibling. Your bond with your parents may be stronger than even you realize. At one time, you may have been the only child your parents had before they had other children. Such a situation creates a bond that is not as strong with subsequent children.
12. You’re More Self-Reliant and Confident
As previously mentioned, you get to watch your other siblings grow up as the oldest male sibling. You get to bestow your knowledge and wisdom to siblings when asked. Your parents probably bonded to you in a way you never realized. Also, you are probably the smartest child in the family. The oldest male sibling is usually the most confident and self-reliant child in most families because of these reasons.
Surprising Benefits of Being the Oldest Male Sibling
Your life might have been hard as the oldest child but take a look outside of the bubble and consider how hard it might have been for your parents and subsequent siblings. Your experiences have probably made you more self-reliant and confident than you realize. Also, you may be more experienced than you realize in family matters when it becomes time for you to start your own family.
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Allen Francis was an academic advisor, librarian, and college adjunct for many years with no money, no financial literacy, and no responsibility when he had money. To him, the phrase “personal finance,” contains the power that anyone has to grow their own wealth. Allen is an advocate of best personal financial practices including focusing on your needs instead of your wants, asking for help when you need it, saving and investing in your own small business.