Struggles of being the eldest child in india

Firstborns have immense advantages as the single focus of their parents’ love and care. The attention that parents give to their eldest child helps them develop self-confidence, self-governance, and many such things to become successful in life. But, being the eldest child in an Indian family puts you in a demanding position. Your life drastically changes the day your parents introduce you to your younger sibling and from then onwards, you need to set fair examples for them.

Following are a few struggles that only firstborns can relate to:

You have to be the perfect child:

Parents with their firstborns try and test their parenting skills, expecting that they will turn out to be the perfect child. It becomes so exhausting at a point that you might call yourself a test child. What’s unfair is that the younger ones never go through the same struggles, instead, they’re always treated with the utmost care and considered kids after they turn adults.

You face way more restrictions

Parents are more strict towards their firstborns. When it comes to going out alone, using mobile phones, watching films and TV shows, parents set age limits for them. But once the elder one gets the permission, the other siblings also get benefitted from it. For example, you may have to wait until you are 16 to go out with your friends. But you know who is going to be there with you? Your 12-year-old sister. You pave the way for your younger siblings. 

You’re supposed to take the responsibilities, always!

It’s an unsaid rule that says you have to always walk in the right direction to set good examples for younger ones. Your parents portray you as a role model and expect so much of you. But when you fail to fulfill their expectations, your faults are highlighted for teaching the younger siblings the right lessons. 

You always need to be the bigger person

Even if your sibling is 100% wrong in an argument or a fight and owes you a massive apology for their behavior, you are expected to just get over it. Your parents tell you to apologize and let go of things saying that you’re the older one, you need to be the biggest person.

Apart from these few examples, there are various other disadvantages of being the eldest child including less pocket money and financial benefits, younger siblings spying on you and telling everything to your parents, you need to babysit them, help them in everything from homework to tutors, everything you own they just become theirs, and more. Hence, being a firstborn child in India or anywhere around the globe is not easy.